Master and Slave
by FudoTwin17
Summary: When Robin is forced to apprentice for Deathstroke, the team is horrified and desperate to get him back. However, it seems almost impossible. But when they are forced to team up with a new hero, how are they supposed to find him? And what is Deathstroke's plan? And how did they not know about the abuse their youngest suffered at his school, a place that's supposed to be safe?
1. Prologue: The Slave

FudoTwin17: Hi!

Cat: Explain. They should really know what you're doing.

FudoTwin17: Okay. Guys, I lost interest in one of my stories, and I have an obsession at the moment with keeping fifteen stories going, so I'm just replacing it with this.

Goldfish # 1: Yep. She doesn't own Young Justice. And don't forget to check out her poll.

Prologue

It was a nightmare. That was the only way Robin could think to describe it. He sighed, whipping away blood from his split lip.

He was completely alone.

No one could help him, not even Batman.

He sighed, curling up in a corner for warmth. The room was cold and dark. It's gray walls had the occasional blood splatter. The only way in and out was a large, metal door with a small slot for his food to come in. Like a prison cell, the only means of bedding was a wooden plank held up by chains. On the plank was another costume.

Robin stayed silent.

Batman had trained him for all different possibilities for when he was kidnapped, but never this. Not once could he have imagined anything like this. He was learning how to adapt without giving into his kidnapper's ploy.

He shivered.

Robin would never be found. Dick Grayson would forever be missing. The legacy of the Flying Grayson's would not be carried on.

He stopped his hand when he felt it move toward his belt.

His belt was no longer there.

Also missing was his cape and the knife he had tucked under it, his gloves, his boots, and the knifes he had hidden among the lining of his costume. Of course, he no longer had any of the three tracers that had been on him curtsey of Batman.

Not to mention the fact that he no longer had his mask.

Robin shivered, knowing that by disobeying the man that had taken him was going to get him killed. Or worse.

His friends killed. His mentor killed. The Justice League killed.

A third the population of Gotham killed.

He had no choice.

Slowly and painfully, the boy wonder stood and walked to the plank, grasping the costume that he desperately wished he had never come across.

"Breathe, Grayson, breathe." He whispered to himself. He was afraid, extremely afraid. But he was the boy wonder. He feared no one, no matter what. He was the night. He warded off pain and fear, saving others. It was his job.

He glanced at his hand only to see a deep burn.

Usually, things like that would be used to mark a cow and identify the ranch it belonged to, but this time, it was on him. It marked him, telling him whose property he was. It made Robin sick to see himself branded in such an inhumane way.

He shut his eyes.

For his friends, for his family, for the people. He would do it for them.

Resigning to his fate, he began to pull on the costume. He had no choice.

The insignia stood for Slade, his master.

FudoTwin17: Once again, I am super sorry! And don't forget that there is a poll on my page.

Cat: Painful.

Dog # 1: Yep.


	2. Chapter 1: Acrobat

FudoTwin17: Hey! I'm-

Goldfish # 1: Finally.

FudoTwin17: Back. ***glares*** Anyways, I actually have an excuse this time!

Cat: Just wait to hear that.

FudoTwin17: Um, I suffered a severe head injury and have been suffering . . . side effects. Momentary blindness, blurriness, seeing things backwards or upside down . . . stuff like that.

Cat: And so she has an excuse. Now, she doesn't own YJ.

Chapter 1

Dick stood straight in class. He was in P.E. and it was extremely . . . well, boring. It wasn't like he could go to his full potential. That wasn't allowed. Instead, he acted like the only thing he could really do was be in the air. He couldn't wrestle. It would be strange if he could take out the jocks who were all twice his size considering he was two grades ahead. He had to be one of the first out in dodge ball. He had to do badly. It wasn't much fun.

But then a problem arose.

Their old teacher, a lazy man who couldn't care less about Dick or more about the sports guys, mysteriously disappeared. In his place came Mr. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson was an athletic who really hated disrespect. He was very physically able and had been in the military at one point. He wore an eye patch as well. He claimed to have lost the eye during the war. Then, he hated all the sports boys, something they were constantly annoyed about, and choose Dick as his favorite. And today, Robin, rather than Dick, sensed something extremely bad was going to happen.

And he was right.

Mr. Wilson stood in front of everyone, behind him some tall object, covered by a tablecloth thrown over it.

"Now, class. Would anyone like to guess what is behind me?" He acted like he was considering to choose a student with their hand raised. Instead, his gaze landed on Dick who wished right then that he wasn't Dick, but instead someone not in the class and had never met Mr. Wilson. If only.

Mr. Wilson pointed at Dick, "How about you, Mr. Grayson."

Before Dick could answer, Mr. Wilson's gaze flew on two boys, "Mr. Adams and Mr. Hancock, would you like to share what's so funny?"

The boys paled. "N-no, sir."

"Then I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself until you are allowed to speak." They both mumbled back a reply. "Sorry, Mr. Grayson. Please, do continue."

"Ah, high bars?" He guessed.

"Well done, Mr. Grayson." Mr. Wilson congratulated him. He pulled away the covering and showed high bars. They were above Mr. Wilson's head, and the teacher wasn't a short man.

"Now," He began. Dick knew almost immediately what was going to happen and had to hold back a groan. This was bad. "Is there anyone in this class that is experienced with this piece of equipment?"

Dick knew for a fact that he knew no one but Dick was experienced with it. Grudgingly, Dick innocently looked at him, waiting for Mr. Wilson to make the first move.

And indeed Mr. Wilson made one.

"Ahem, Dick? Weren't you part of a circus some time ago?" He waited for Dick to answer.

"Y-Yes, sir." _Well played, Mr. Wilson, well played._

"An acrobat. Yes, I remember. I once saw a show. Well done. I'm sure you've had some experience with this piece. Why don't you show the class?"

"But . . . ." Dick was cut off when several students started clapping, trying to encourage him to get up there. He could see Mr. Wilson smiling. Everything was going according to plan.

But before he could take more than a step, his only friend stepped forward, raising her arm in the air. Dick felt a smile reach his face.

"Ms. Gordon?" Mr. Wilson authorized her.

"Sir, does Dick have to do it? After all, it may not be something he would like to do." Barbra pointed out, trying to get the class on her side. Dick sent her a thankful glance, already knowing that Mr. Wilson wouldn't give up that easy.

"It's the same as basketball players doing drills or football players doing plays. Besides, I couldn't demonstrate this. The only one who is qualified is Mr. Grayson. Please step down, Ms. Gordon." He replied.

"But-"

"Ms. Gordon, must I call your dad? I believe the commissioner has better things to do than listen to what his misbehaving daughter has done now." Mr. Wilson threatened.

Dick could see how much the comment really hit her when she glanced at him faithfully. He smiled at her reassuringly. She sighed admitting defeat. She stepped back.

"Good. Now, Mr. Grayson?" Mr. Wilson asked.

Dick took a deep breath, walking over to the bars. He couldn't reach the bars to swing himself up. He knew that was supposed to push him, courtesy of Mr. Wilson. He grabbed hold of one of the poles holding up the bars and used it to swing himself into a triple flip onto the bars. There were gasps. There were murmurs.

And he knew Mr. Wilson was smiling.

Once he was on the bars, he went to walking on his hands and just made occasional flips or would cartwheel or do a roundhouse with one hand. He preformed for maybe two minutes before he stopped in the middle and did a quadruple flip to stand upright. He glared at Mr. Wilson.

Dick hated his life.

Mr. Wilson was smiling as if he won the lottery . . . or as if he found out he was right.

Dick pushed the later thought out of his head. He didn't want to think about anything like that. It was something he just didn't want to think about. Especially with the thought being about Mr. Wilson, the scum.

"Can I come down now, _sir_?" He had to force the last word out, but it was fine. He wasn't being very disrespectful and it got a . . . reaction out of Mr. Wilson. That was good enough for him.

"Yes, Mr. Grayson. See me after class." He added. Grayson paled.

Dick used the pole to get down as not to leave anymore clues to his identity. Now that he thought about it, he was basically showing everyone that he had equal ability to Robin. Great.

Barbra sent him an exasperated look. He completely understood. She didn't like Mr. Wilson any more than he did. He didn't exactly mind that someone could read him so well.

He took his place as Mr. Wilson went over how they would each make a routine on the bars and preform for everyone else on some date a few weeks later. He sent a glance at Dick.

Dick glared back. He could afford to show his anger that day. Bruce encouraged him to show emotion outside of the mask. What did it matter if he showed his . . . . He paused. There wasn't a word for how angry he was. Joy? Disjoy? Yeah, that would work.

Before he knew it, everyone was sent to the locker room. After he was presentable, he handed off his stuff to Barbra, who agreed to grab his stuff from his locker that he needed for next class and put it on his desk. He thanked her and calmly walked toward the office by the gym.

Mr. Wilson was waiting.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Wilson?" He asked grudgingly. Mr. Wilson was turned toward his desk with his hands behind his back. Dick got the feeling he would've been ready if he were to be attacked.

"Yes, for two things actually." He replied. "First, you are not to disrespect me, Dick. I am your superior in the classroom. You are under me. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Dick didn't miss how Mr. Wilson stressed how he wasn't very high ranked. He was trying to make Dick see how unimportant he was. It ticked Dick off.

"And the second is that I would prefer it if you did not do a performance on the bars seeing as you've already done that. I'd prefer that you help other students with their technique and routine. After school for an hour each week day, you will work on your routine. You will do yours on the trapeze and yours will be much longer than two minutes. You will have a fifty minute performance after they all complete their routine. Are we clear?" Mr. Wilson wasn't asking.

"But-"

"Of course, I could just fail you. I'd be just fine with that." He added.

Dick dropped his head in defeat. This was way worse than bad.

He was so disjoyful.

FudoTwin17: Yep. There you go.

Cat: R&R! Bye.


	3. Chapter 2: Something's Wrong

FudoTwin17: Hi, guys!

Cat: Before you flame her for being gone for so long, you should hear her excuse.

Goldfish # 1: Or you could just flame her.

FudoTwin17: Um, well, I'm sorry. First I got grounded for around four days. That sucked. I have never missed you guys so much. Then I got hacked. NONE of my security kept them out! I lost everything. I even had to redo all my apps. And then it happened again. So, as you may be able to tell, I lost this chappie. And I was just about to update! Which reminds me of my life lesson. Never forget to save your important stuff with a flash drive.

Cat: Nice speech.

FudoTwin17: Yes. CURSE YOU HACKERS!

Robin: ***raises eyebrow before Batman steps in front*** Um, why?

Batman: Be careful. She has control of the story.

Robin: Oh, right. Man!

FudoTwin17: ***starts laughing like a maniac*** And I have torture that I have to get out. All that time unable to write . . . it almost drove me sane!

Robin: Too bad it didn't work.

Cat: She doesn't own Young Justice.

Chapter 2

"Seriously?" Barbra asked with her fork half way to her mouth. They were talking at lunch since they couldn't at their last hour. Of course, usually when they couldn't talk they would text one another, but Barbra got her phone taken away . . . again. So, there they were talking.

"Yep. He wants me to preform like a dancing monkey. And I'll have to do it, too." Dick sighed.

"Well," She paused to take a bite of her salad, "Why don't you talk to Bruce? After all, he is the most influential sponsor this school has." he motioned with her fork as if it didn't have stabbed lettuce on the end of it.

He paused. It was true that Bruce was able to help him, but . . . .

Dick couldn't do it. It was something he had to do. He had to face this instead of letting Bruce hold his hand every step of the way. He wanted to be his own person, so he needed to face his own problems alone, not with Bruce using his power to make it easier on him. Besides, he'd faced worse. He sighed.

Besides, Bruce was, well, Batman. He had his own problems. He didn't always have time for Dick and his problems. It was better if he didn't bother Bruce.

He shook his head. "Bruce has enough on his plate." Dick pushed away his own plate of food. He wasn't hungry anymore. Not that he actually ate any of it in the first place. All he did was push around the carrots with his fork. He suddenly felt self conscious. He didn't want Barbra looking at him. "What about you? You've been kinda down today."

She stopped her fork half way to her mouth to look at him. She set down her utensils, at that moment noticing for the first time that he wasn't as optimistic as usual. She'd known that something was up for a while, and had been spending more time him to try to cheer him up. She couldn't figure out what was up, but she knew that Bruce knew. He had been pushing her dad to give them some time together. Her dad, of course, melted in Wane's grip.

But him bringing up her problems, that was a problem.

She sighed. They were best friends. It would be wrong for her to keep it from him when they had no secrets from one another, not even about Bo Bo the elephant (which was not her stuffed animal).

"We had a fight again." She stated dully.

They did have a fight. Her and her dad were always fighting.

"It's just that, well, you know how I want to go into law enforcement!" She said. "But my dad just won't do it. He refuses to give me a chance. It's my life! I should be able to do what I want to when I'm older, not what he tells me to!" She sighed. "I know that he's just trying to protect me, but I don't want the protection. I just . . . . I want support."

Robin frowned. When they talked about this, he truly knew what it was like to be conflicted. Being the best friend, he had so many different takes on the subject. Plus, he was adding on the added experiences of Robin, who had been up close and personal with too many sociopaths to count.

He didn't want her anywhere near those psychopaths. They were dangerous, and had a passion for playing with the police force. If they got their hands on her . . . well, he hadn't forgotten what had happened to the last police officer the Joker had gotten his hands on. He shivered.

But at the same time, he knew that she had a right to her own future. She should be what she wanted, not what her dad wanted. She had at least earned that right. Besides, as strong as she was, he and Bruce would always be around to catch her if she fell . . . hopefully.

"Honestly, I wouldn't want you in the force if I were your dad." Dick said. When she turned her dark glare on him, he instantly added on to what he had said. "I've been kidnapped by a lot of those maniacs. I can tell you that I've seen the horrors of what man and mutated man can do. But I'm with you one-hundred percent. It's your choice what you do, and I'll be right behind you the entire time."

Her softened gaze met his. She smiled. "Thanks. If only my dad could feel the same way."

He glanced at the time, wishing lunch could be at least two hours longer. He frowned. "We'd better get to class."

Dejectedly, she slowly turned her head to look at the time. Of course he was right. When wasn't the little know-it-all right? "Yeah, I guess."

Neither of them moved. Neither of them wanted to leave. Neither of them would be able to get what they wanted.

. . .

From a distance, Mr. Wilson watched carefully, noting anything and everything he deemed important about their interaction. It was almost curious how close they were. Of everyone in the school, the one that caught the boy's eye was a girl with daddy-daughter problems, daughter of the commissioner, and someone who was about the same area as him intellectually.

He blinked, his hands folded behind his back.

He had figured that his job would be hard, but he never expected a challenge like this to present itself. He smirked. He liked challenges.

Besides, it wasn't just their relationship that he had to sabotage, but his teams', his families', and his mentors. He had a large job on his hands.

Mr. Wilson smirked as the boy lowered his head slightly. He would fill out and his mind would become open to many ideas. He would obey only his master and do as commanded. He would be able to do mind blowing things due to his agility, flexibility, and pure instinct. He was perfect.

Dick Grayson, Robin, was worth it.

FudoTwin17: Yay! Okay, I'm happy, but tired. I had a rough day, so I can't wait to sleep . . . and read. Okay, I'm more excited about reading than going to bed, but at least I'm updating.

Goldfish # 1: Great . . . .

Cat: I can still eat you.

FudoTwin17: . . . I need a Tylenol. Bye. Please review.


	4. Chapter 3: Best Friends Forever?

FudoTwin17: Yo!

Cat: She's back.

Dog # 1: I think they get it.

FudoTwin17: . . . . Anyways, at the moment, I'm typing this since I'm stuffed in a packed van to go across the country. Since my computer got hacked and all that nonsense, I can only type, like, four of my stories. ***Tear***

Cat: It's good for you guys, though, because this is one of those stories.

Random Crazy Reviewer: YAY!

Cat: . . . She doesn't own Young Justice.

Chapter 3

When Robin walked into the cave forty minutes later than usual with his hair wet, Wally was most definitely curious. He was more curious about it than he would usually be, because he was bored.

And then, he could see it painted on his best friends face that he was more than mad. He was furious.

Wally was _so _curious.

"Hey, Rob!" Wally greeted his best friend after zooming over. "What's up?"

Robin took a second to look at him and compose himself. He was just not in the mood for a speedster. Taking a deep breath, he stated, "Please leave me alone, Wally."

He walked forward, heading to his room. His dark aura and lack of a speedster on his tail made the team, which were all in the room, look up.

"Are you alright, Robin?" Aqualad asked as he stood. Even he could see that there was something wrong with the younger boy. But Robin flat out ignored him. Or maybe his bad mood helped him block out his surroundings.

Robin walked straight to his room, closed the door, and fell on his bed.

He flipped out his phone and started to text Barbara.

_Long day. Haven't seen u since lunch. _He sent the message. _How waz ur day?_

He didn't wait long for an answer, but it wasn't the one he wanted. _Leave me alone Dick._

He blinked. What did he do? _What's wrong?_

_ Like u don't kno._

He felt his frown deepen. _Please, talk 2 me._

_ U kno what u did. _

He groaned. This was bad. If his best friend didn't talk to him he knew he would go crazy. She had to tell him. _I don't kno. Please tell me._

He waited for a reply. Of course, he didn't get one. _Please, talk 2 me!_

Dick sighed. He wasn't getting an answer, or at least any time soon. What was going on with his life? It was as if everything was going wrong. What did he do to get all this dumped on him? He set his phone aside. Why did the universe hate him?

He closed his eyes, only wishing for the world to ignore him for once in his life. Just once. Naturally, it couldn't do that.

A knock on the door interrupted his discomfort. "Robin, are you okay?" Came the voice of Megan through the door. "You seemed upset." Great. Megan was worried about him. That usually might be fine, but right then, he just wanted to disappear. If only he could.

"I'm fine, Megan." He replied without opening the door.

"Are you sure?" Kal was out there too.

"Yeah." He replied. He even sounded downbeat. He shook his head. If they could only see through the door they would know how alright he really was.

"Can you open the door? It's kinda hard talking to you if you won't show your face." Conner asked. He didn't know why it mattered so much. He didn't exactly show his face when he talked to them.

"Yeah, sure." He replied, getting up. Once the door slid open, he smiled. He didn't want to face them with a frown etched into his features. Usually, he could hide his emotions well, but . . . Barbara. He hated having fights with her. Especially when he didn't know what the fight was about.

When they argued, it just sucked all happiness and ability to . . . well, be him. It was hard.

"We know you're upset." Wally stated. "Why don't you get it off your chest?" The thought was appealing, but he didn't want them (Wally) anywhere near his personal life. Besides, he was a bat. He didn't need to get anything off his chest. It was his job to deal with it.

Behind his mask, they couldn't see the conflict going on in his mind. "No, I'm fine. No worries."

They stared at him. After a moment, Aqualad stepped forward. "Robin, we are a team. We need to know if there is something bothering you."

"Don't worry. It won't affect my performance on the team." He stated. He figured they already knew he had a problem. He might as well quit trying to hide it.

"We don't worry about your performance on the team," Artemis claimed unhappily, "We care about you. We are friends. Please, what's wrong?"

He backed into the shadows of his dark room. "It doesn't matter." He tried to close the door. He didn't want to talk to them about this. Ever.

"Yes, it does!" Wally exclaimed, catching the door. "It matters to you."

Robin backed up darkly. It felt like the temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees. They continued to boldly pursue the teen. He turned away. "But it doesn't have anything to do with you." He stated quietly.

The team moved into the room, letting the door slide closed behind them.

"Please, Robin, talk to us." Megan asked. For some reason, the statement caught his attention. It was just what he asked Barbara to do with him. But she didn't give in. He . . . he wanted to.

They all started talking. For some reason, he couldn't handle it-them. He was the boy wonder, but the stress that he put on his body and mind was too much. He took a deep breath.

"Fine!" He was almost surprised when he found his voice raised. They all stared at him like he had lost it. In a way, he had. "My teacher is enjoying toying with my emotions and past while my closest and only friend at school quit talking to me for some reason that I don't even know!" He turned away.

"R-Robin," Artemis murmured.

"Get out of my room now." He stated with his back turned. His voice was so dark and disconnected that they all obeyed. He stood there long after the door slid shut. Then, he just couldn't hold it in.

He kicked the closest thing to him. It just so happened to be a mirror. It shattered, cutting his bare foot. He flinched, dropping down to his knees to pick it up. Small shards of glass got in his hand and managed to go through his skinny jeans to bloody him. After he dumped it in a box in the closet as he wanted to dispose of it without anyone seeing it, he walked into his bathroom to start bandaging it. He sighed.

He almost jumped when someone knocked on the door.

"Rob, we've got a mission. Bats said to be in there in ten." Wally said through the door.

"Okay." He murmured through the door.

He put aside the disinfectants and just started bandaging the cuts. This would be interesting. At least they wouldn't see his ripped and bloody skinny jeans.

FudoTwin17: Is that good?

Cat: Yeah.

FudoTwin17: I sure hope so. Bye, guys! Only review if you love me!

Goldfish # 1: That means don't review.

Cat: Don't make me eat you.


	5. Chapter 4: Monsters and Fakers

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. Not feeling too well, so no talk thingy at the beginning of this chapter. Sorry if the chapter is bad, too. I am just not feeling the aster. Sorry. I don't own Young Justice.

Chapter 4

The mission was simple, get in, get the information, get out. That's what Batman had said. It was extremely dangerous, though. The only reason the League was letting them do it was because their past four missions had been successful.

Oh, how wrong they were.

The team didn't even get to their landing point before everything took a turn for the worst. The bioship was attacked, sending them all hurtling toward the Earth. Once they all found that no damage, or in Robin's case, hidden damage, had been done, they left the bioship.

They were surprised to find that someone was waiting for them. There in front of them were two people. They were dressed in grays and blacks with orange and black masks. They took up fighting positions, ready to fight.

_Robin, Superboy, you get in! _Aqualad commanded over the link. _We'll take care of the minions._

The two nodded, waiting until the battle had started before they ran off toward the large building behind the one's who blocked them. They got in, surprisingly with no fight, and found the main computer.

Superboy didn't notice Robin's slight limp.

Robin was hacking in an instant. No one was there to stop him. Slightly distracted, he still wondered why no one was fighting.

"Robin!" Gasped Superboy.

"I've almost got it!" He called back. Right when it reached one-hundred percent, he ripped the cord from the supercomputer and turned. His eyes were wide when his eyes were assaulted with the scene in front of him.

Superboy laid on the ground, his eyes closed. Around his neck was a rope necklace with kryptonite on the end. Above him was a figure with his hands folded behind his back.

Robin's eyes widened in recognition. "You!"

"Hello, Robin."

. . .

When Miss Martian gasped, everyone almost froze. The fighting had ended a time ago after they found that their attackers were not truly alive, but robots, and now they were on their way to meet up with the others. Aqualad glanced back at the shocked martian.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I can't contact Superboy!" They all looked at one another. This was bad.

"What about Robin?" Kid Flash asked, worry evident in his voice. Of course, they were all worried, but he seemed much more worried.

"He's awake, but he-he's not answering!" She replied after a second.

The team looked at one another. This was more than bad. This was disastrous, heavy on the dis, as Robin might say. They hoped they were alright, knowing that it probably wasn't true.

. . .

The figure was a tall male with a black and gray costume. He wore bits of metal on his costume and stayed perfectly at ease in front of Robin. His face was covered with a mask with one eye hole, half black and the other side orange with holes just big enough that he could breath. Robin could sense the danger coming off him in waves.

"Get rid of the kryptonite." Robin growled, readying himself to attack randomly to get over there so he could get rid of the kryptonite. He couldn't let Superboy stay like that.

"Come now, Robin. Why would I do that? This way we can talk." The villain smiled. Robin could tell.

"Why would I talk to you if I felt my friend was in danger, Slade?" He asked.

"Oh, but your friend is in danger. That's why you're going to talk to me." With that sentence, Robin charged.

. . .

Artemis looked at the two hallways. "Which one?"

Megan frowned. "I sense Robin's mind through that one, but . . . ."

With that, Aqualad frowned. They needed to go. Now. "Then come. Let's go through that one."

The team nodded, running after Aqualad. They ran through room after room until they heard fighting. Artemis took the lead, rushing to the edge of the doorway and letting out a shocked gasp. Wally was there in an instant.

They watched as Robin ran at a strange villain standing over Superboy. As if knowing what he was going to do, Slade grabbed Robin's wrist that was only there for a fraction of a second and twisted it in a way that would have had any of his team members down in a second. However Robin flipped over him, grappling his neck with his legs.

"Wow." Muttered Kid Flash.

Robin reached with his other hand toward Superboy, just barely grabbing a gleaming, green-

"Kryptonite!" Gasped Aqualad.

However, before he could get his hands on it, the villain threw him across the room. Robin flipped, catching himself but flinching when he landed on his right foot. Slade, catching this, smiled.

"Good, Robin. I almost fell into your trap." The team watched as Robin gritted his teeth. Then the villain turned to Aqualad. "Not much of a leader, sending a hurt member into the field."

Aqualad's eyes widened at the same time that everyone else's did. Slade smirked, glancing at Robin, who didn't seem surprised. "Yes, boy wonder, I noticed."

"Figures." He muttered.

"Robin, who is he?" Miss Martian asked, seeing the look that he was giving him.

"Oh, you haven't told them about me, yet, Robin?" Slade asked, smirking. "I'm offended."

"Robin?" Demanded Aqualad gently as he stared down the criminal. He wasn't happy at all. He didn't notice that Robin was hurt and this maniac had Superboy down for the count, a shocking feat with Superboy's power.

"He's Slade, or Deathstroke. He's a mercenary. And recently, he's come down to Gotham. He enjoys tormenting me and Bats." Robin explained briefly, not taking his eyes off of Slade.

"More like you, Robin." Deathstroke smirked. "Batman is much too boring and dark."

Robin gritted his teeth. His eyes flitted to Megan, thinking something more directed at Aqualad. _Attack as soon as possible. Superboy isn't going to last much longer. _Just as the rest of the team was preparing to attack, Slade seemed to straighten. He expected this.

"Stay back. This is between Robin and I. If you don't, Superboy, here, dies." Slade placed his boot on Superboy's chest, which was beginning to have problems rising and falling.

This froze the team. Miss Martian nodded. "Do what he says! He's not bluffing!"

The rest of the team stood down, unhappily. Their eyes were trained on Robin, who's eyes were narrowed at Slade, who began to laugh. "You really got hurt this time, didn't you?"

Aqualad found himself frozen when he saw what Slade meant. Blood had leaked through this pants at the knees, foot, and there was even some coming through his gloves. Miss Martian gasped quietly.

"Of course, I've seen you get worse in Gotham. Just last week you were captured by the Joker, weren't you?" Slade laughed at look of utter disgust that crossed his face. "Oh, what's wrong? Wanted to keep those encounters from your little friends?"

"Obviously." He stated, acid seeping through his tone as his cape came in front of him, blocking his bloody hands from his friends.

"And what about your school life? They don't know anything about that, do they?" Slade smirked at the surprised look crossed his face. "Oh, little Barbra, thinking you told everyone about her daddy problems."

His eyes widened, Dick suddenly speaking. "What did you do?"

Slade smirked. Finally, Robin seemed to lose his temper. His cape flew open as he threw smoke bombs at Slade. Slade's eye widened before he was covered in smoke. The team watched as Robin charged into the heavy smoke.

Aqualad held back the team as the sound of battle reached their ears. "Do not interfere. This is Robin's terrain. Besides, Superboy's life is on the line."

In the smoke, Robin drew out his bow-staff. Sending a well aimed attack at where Slade had just been. Instead, he hit nothing. He leaned down, pulling the necklace off of Superboy and stuffing it in his pouch. Superboy started coughing.

Right then, Robin jumped away. Slade attacked from the smoke, almost hitting his target. Robin didn't utter a sound, knowing that against this villain, it could be his downfall.

"Good, Robin."

Robin dodged an attack from behind, sending one of his own. Slade let out a gasp as it hit him. Robin, completely focused, sent a constant amount of blows. Each one sent Slade stumbling back until they found themselves out of the smoke.

As Superboy stumbled out of the smoke, unharmed, yet with his shirt ripped for some strange reason, the team watched Robin in awe. They never saw him this serious. That was the thing, Robin didn't do serious. When he did, he was scary and dark. Serious just wasn't what he was about.

But, as Slade gasped and was hit again and again, they could see how the boy wonder could. Then, as if the fates planned it, Slade grabbed his staff. It was so fast that no one saw it.

Slade looked down darkly. "Did you really think you could get me so easily? My reflexes, speed, strength, everything has been enhanced. I am much better than any human."

As if to prove his point, he went at the younger, injured male with his own weapon. Robin dodged as much as he could, but at one point, Slade nastily faked him out and struck him in the foot. The younger boy gasped, almost falling back, but instead kept his stance. With that, Slade hit him in the face.

Robin fell back, flipping up and whipping blood from his mouth as he glared at Slade.

"Good, Robin. You did well, especially against one like me. Now, I really must go. Goodbye." With that, he threw the staff at Robin, who caught it and stood. Slade disappeared into the darkness behind him.

Robin turned away. "Let's go."

"What? We could still get that guy!" Wally exclaimed.

"No, we couldn't. We would never have found him if he didn't want us to." Robin stated, minimizing his staff and placing it back where it belonged. "Let's get out of here."

Aqualad nodded, following Robin. It was times like this that it was hard not to follow Robin. The team went along. After they reached the bioship, silence reigned. This went on until Megan couldn't take it anymore.

"What he said back there, was it true?"

Robin looked away. "Yes, in a twisted way."

"Do you really get hurt worse in Gotham?" Aqualad asked.

Robin's eyes narrowed. "It's not the nicest of places."

His reply, completely open and unfriendly, yet in a manner that was so dark that the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. None of them would be surprised if it did. The rest of the trip was quiet.

When they reached the mountain, Aqualad noticed that Robin stayed on the ship for just a second to collect himself. Once he had, he walked out with a triumphant smile on his face. Aqualad blinked.

In the end, all the files and information was encrypted and Robin was told to work on getting them to a readable point. After a short time of Robin's fake smiles, Batman called him over to leave.

That's when it hit Aqualad.

Robin was hiding it from Batman.

FudoTwin17: Well, I hope that was good. Not feeling too well, so I'm gonna say bye now. I hope it wasn't too crappy. Bye.


	6. Chapter 5: Forty-Five

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. I'm sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I was typing it on my laptop, which never has really worked right, but I didn't think it'd die on me. I've been waiting for my laptop to bounce back so I could continue from where I left off on it, but it hasn't happened yet. So . . . sorry.

Goldfish # 1: Wow. That was a lot.

FudoTwin17: Oh, and before I forget, I want to dedicate this chappie to CHiKa-RoXy. Dear, CHiKa, thank you so much for relieving me of my writer's block. Now, all my little demons of stories, go attack that asterous person's page with happiness and joy and rainbows.

Cat: Um . . . yeah. Good luck with that.

Dog # 1: She doesn't own Young Justice or Slade. ***shiver***

Chapter 5

"Good work today, Richard." Mr. Wilson congratulated the smaller boy, who's arms felt as if they were ready to fall out of their sockets, in a voice smoother than honey. "You are dismissed." And he walked away.

Without a thought about what he was doing, Dick stuck out his tongue and pulled down one of his eyelids. Of all the stupid things he could have done, that was the one thing that he knew that, if he were caught, he'd get in trouble for. But Dick didn't care. With how bad he felt right then, he just needed an outlet. So, he did the most stupid, but somewhat satisfying thing he could think of.

For a second, he was sure that Slade, who he had thought caught the silly face, would make him do fifty pushups or something, but the man never stopped in his stride.

Dick sighed, walking to the locker room to take a shower. Once he finished, he picked up a small box that had originally been on a bench near him delicately.

It was small, true, but that didn't matter. It was what was inside the smooth, yet soft black outer layer of the box, underneath the crimson bow. He just stood there for a moment, holding it as if it were the one thing that mattered to him. In fact, at that moment, that was probably true.

Barbara.

It was for Barbara. He wouldn't let that monster get between him and his best friend. No matter what, it would always be Barbara first.

So, he slipped off to hide his most important treasure. He entrusted it to Barbara.

. . .

That night, when he stepped in the Batcave, he knew something was wrong. Both Alfred and Bruce were staring at him, horror and betrayal evident in their eyes, Bruce's unmasked and Alfred's wide. Dick blinked, feeling a wave of anxiety hit him.

"Dick, can-can you explain this?" Bruce's tone, always expectant and even, was dry.

Dick suddenly felt his muscles stiffen. What could make _Bruce _react this way? Unwillingly, his legs obediently dragged him toward his only real family since he was eight.

Then he looked up at the screen.

It was of him, well, Robin. He, with an echoing cackle, flipped off a huge building onto a man who was in all black and holding a large, filled bag. That was when Dick first felt something off.

The air suddenly tasted bitterly sweet, but he continued to breathe his best. It burned his lungs.

Robin, who dodged a series of well-aimed hooks, did a one-handed backflip, grabbing a blade from his boot just before he landed in a crouch. Robin smirked, a smile forming at the edges of his mouth, which seemed blood thirsty.

Dick was so shaken and horrified by what he saw that he couldn't see Bruce lean over, rubbing his temples. He didn't watch Alfred steady himself with a shaky hand.

All he could do was watch as Robin jerkily, almost as if machine, jumped at the man and stabbed him in the chest with the blade.

The man as well as Dick let out a small noise as if unable to breathe. As blood began seeping through the man's shirt, dark spots danced around Dick's vision. _It can't be real._ He told himself as Robin laughed, going in to stab the criminal again. _It can't be real._

The man let out a small scream. Dick staggered back onto the ground, unable to hold himself up. His eyes wide and darkened watched as Robin struck the man over and over again.

_Eight._

_ Nine._

_ Ten._

_ Fifteen._

_ Sixteen._

_ Nineteen._

_ Twenty._

His arms gave out at the same time he heard a tray smash against the ground.

_Twenty-four._

_ Twenty-five._

_ Twenty-eight._

_ Thirty._

_ Thirty-one._

A figure appeared in the edge of his vision, but he couldn't stop counting the times the gloved hand came down on the unknown man's chest.

_Thirty-nine._

_ Forty._

_ Forty-three._

A cloth pressed against his face. He watched Robin laugh and stand covered in a criminal's blood from gloves to face. His eyes wandered up to the man who's face was, although blurry, swimming above him. He closed his eyes unwillingly. He didn't want . . . .

He didn't want . . . .

He . . . .

Dick let out a sigh of release, the release of his mind from a cruel reality to a shocked darkness.

_Robin stabbed the man forty-five times. _

. . .

Bruce didn't know what came over him, but he knew it wasn't good. He felt on the verge of sleep, although just moments ago, he was painfully aware that he was awake and couldn't wake up from the nightmare of watching his-_his son_ kill a man.

Now, he could just barely turn his head to the side to see a figure, too blurry and uneven to make out just who, pick up a small figure-

_Dick! _He realized with a jolt.

And walk towards the exit.

"N . . . No . . . ." Bruce just managed to rasp. The figure stopped and turned toward Bruce.

"Ah, Batman. You really should protect yourself and your acquaintances better. You won't be seeing him again. But don't worry, I'll take good care of him." His smile through the mask was evident with the honey sweet voice.

"You-can't!" Bruce coughed, feeling his vision leave him.

"Yes, I can. Goodbye, for the last time, Bruce." And he walked away.

After Bruce heard the heartbreaking hum of the elevator out of the Batcave, he was left with only darkness to console him.

. . .

When Bruce woke, he figured he just fell asleep while working again. But then it all came flooding back to him. _All _of it.

He jolted to his feet, ignoring an immediate headache following along with the wobble of his vision. He staggered over to Alfred, who was struggling to stand. After both men were steady, Alfred stared at Bruce.

"Master Bruce? What just happened?"

"We were just duped." Bruce growled, taking on his Batman persona. "The video was-" He pulled it up and zoomed in on a small clock shop he hadn't been paying attention to at first in the back. _4:18. _"a fake."

Alfred blinked.

"At that same time, I received a text from Dick explaining why he was late." He pulled up a video from the gym of Gotham Academy. Dick was standing in front of his new gym teacher, Mr-Mr. Wilson. They watched as Dick glared at the older man before saying something rather snarky to the teacher and-

"Oh, my word! Master Dick!" Alfred exclaimed in horror.

_And Mr. Wilson slapped him across the face._

"Why didn't Dick tell me?" Whispered Bruce in horror.

Then he remembered it. It was a short time ago. Probably just days.

_"Bruce?" Dick asked as he stepped in the room, his hair wet and eyes downcast. "Can I ask you something?"_

_ "Can it wait?" Bruce had asked. He had been working on a very important report for his actual company. And it was late. "I've got a bit of work to do."_

_ "Well-"_

_ Right then the phone had rung. Bruce had sighed, frustrated. "I'll talk to you later. I'll be coming around your friends house in just a little while to talk business. We can talk after that." He said, using code in the house. Bruce had promised._

_ Dick, hurt not evident in his eyes or mannerisms, nodded and walked out._

Bruce's hands clenched into fists. "He did try to tell me."

Dick didn't move his head back to stare at his teacher, but instead stared in that same direction that his eyes were pointed in. Then he bowed his head in submission and murmured something quietly. To that, the teacher, the despicable monster, nodded and Dick pulled out his phone.

"That was when he texted me."

Alfred looked at Bruce. "But why? Master Bruce, surely the people who kidnapped him knew we would be suspicious. Why wouldn't they just take him and make it seem as if he ran? But instead, they choose to wait until you discovered the video and confronted him to . . . do whatever they did."

Bruce frowned, not looking at Alfred. "The party responsible want to rub it in my face that they outdid me. They want me to feel like it's my fault, and they don't mind bragging. As well as that, they needed a shocking moment for us not to notice the drug being sent into the air and have that moment be important enough that we might think the reactions were normal long enough for it to invade our systems so we couldn't do anything."

Alfred stared in absolute horror. Then he asked the one question that Bruce dreaded, but knew the answer to.

"Who is the party responsible?"

"Deathstroke. Deathstroke the Terminator." The greatest tactician in the world.

FudoTwin17: Once again, I'm really sorry. I'd give you more than this crappy chapter, but I'm not feeling well and I still have more stories to update. Bye.

Dog # 1: BYE! REVIEW!


	7. Chapter 6: Dead Deals

FudoTwin17: Yo, guys! I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update. Honestly, right now I'm too upset to do anything other than give you the chappie, so no talk. Sorry. Uh, today through my area there was a major flood that is really bad. Some cars are underwater, the two lower levels of my house are flooded with many things ruined, and today, which was the last day of the all school musical, school was canceled, which means that we may not be doing the last two performances, which is the real reason I'm upset. TT Okay, now that that's off my chest, I don't own Young Justice.

Chapter 6

It was dark when Robin opened his eyes. Very dark. His foggy mind didn't immediately remember just what had occurred before he had appeared there. So, instead of his eyes widening in horror, he wracked his brains to figure out why he was there, the first thought coming to mind not too far off. After all he was in his Robin costume, most of it anyway. He was missing the belt, boots, picks, mask, and a few other items that he hadn't found so obviously gone.

_Did I get kidnapped on patrol again? No . . . . _His tired eyes furrowed in confusion. _I was at the manor. Bats called me down to the cave and-_He shot bolt up straight. No, no, no, no, no, NO! Robin didn't-He couldn't-What was-Where was he?

Looking around, although a bit dizzy, he searched the area. It was dark and had large gears, almost like a clock. It was practically black with darkness. In hidden areas were spaces for machines. As well as that, in front of him was a large screen stretching the entire wall. With it was a chair. Robin blinked, staring at the figure in front of the screen.

It was Slade. Dick seethed, but then he noticed something odd. He wasn't wearing the mask. His hair was silver and he had a goatee. As well as that, he had an eye patch-

It was then that Dick's slow thinking process (as it was recovering from the drugs) recognized him. His eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Wilson?"

Slade smiled at him, motioning the boy to stand. Realizing he was still sitting, he jumped up. It was a bit too quickly for the drugs in his system, but he didn't let it show. He couldn't believe it. It was horrifying to know that Slade, the monster, had been watching him all this time. And that he knew he was Robin.

Not that that mattered the most right at that moment. What really mattered was contacting Batman. Not only contacting Batman, but escaping. His eyes searched for means of escape despite Slade's stare.

"Before you miraculously disappear, you should probably listen to what I have to say."

Dick just pursed his lips, giving slade his full attention as he crossed his arms. "I'm listening."

Mr. Wilson's cold smile slid across Slade's face. "Good. I'll make it short and simple so you don't lose interest."

"Too late for that." Robin rather than Dick snarled.

"Oh, that's too bad. So many lives there were, so many innocents." Slade turned away mockingly.

Dick's eyes widened. "Okay, you got it back."

Slade smirked back at him. "Many will die if you don't do exactly as I say. First off, Batman. I already gassed the Batcave and in the second burst of gas, which you were not present for, your butler and Batman both were infected with nanobots. They are too small for most micro-scanners. With the push of a button, they would be dead in minutes." Dick stared in shock as Slade brought out a device with a multitude of buttons and attached it to his wrist. Behind him on the screen appeared two camera angles on the Batcave that Dick knew weren't Batman's.

"So you'll kill them?" Dick asked, his voice detatched.

"Not just them. Spread throughout the watchtower are bombs. You know what happens when there are holes leading to the empty space. The air supply diminishes." His smile seemed to grow more and more cold. Unappealing. Behind him appeared videos of the watchtower. "And let's not forget the Gothamites."

Dick's jaw almost dropped forward when he saw more videos.

There was Barbara. She was asleep in her bed and could be seen through a window. Her hair fell perfectly around her face and she looked younger, even at peace. She shifted to a more comfortable position in her sleep as her father stepped in to check on her.

No. His eyes were locked on that one video rather than moving to any of the others of the Gothamites.

"One third the population of Gotham will die if you don't do everything that I say." Slade stated. Then he let his icy, blue eye dart back to the boy wonder. "And I'll make you watch."

Dick's mouth was dry. "What would you have me do?"

A pleased smile formed on Mr. Wilson's face. "I want you to be my apprentice. You see, I want someone to follow in my footsteps. I want someone to train in my ways. And, after searching with little results, I choose you." He began to circle Dick. "You accept?"

"Yes."

"Good." Slade purred. "You will call me Master. You will do as I say. You will not protest. Let's begin. We will begin with the disipline. You will learn not to disrespect me."

It wouldn't have mattered if Dick had his belt on him. Dick didn't try to block the attack thrown at him.

. . .

Dick let out little rasps of breath. He whipped away blood from his split lip. He had been through a rough beating from Slade. The man was dangerous and painfully aware of the weakest points of Dick's body and in his suit. He hurt. There was a cut just above his left eye. His upper cheek was raw and his neck and upper body were riddled with bruises from constant kicking and hitting. His arm felt like it had been popped out of the socket, but he knew better since Slade had at least had the decency to pop it back in. His legs hurt as well, but not as much as his chest. However, his left ankle felt extremely bad, making him limp lightly on it. As well as that, his palm burned.

He had never felt so alone in his entire life. No Batman, no team, no League. Just himself.

At that moment, he hadn't wanted to put on the suit so he let himself just sit in a corner, shivering despite the heat.

He sat in what was like a prison cell. There were metal walls splattered with both his blood and bodies unknown. There was a metal door locked from the outside with a slot for food and drink. As well as that, there was a wooden plank held up by chains where his new costume laid.

Mr. Wilson said it was a temporary room for him and that his room was just awaiting a few more fixes (probably a bunch of locks and security cameras) and then he could take it.

It was so dark.

He had checked for his extra knives and the tracers from Batman, but those were gone. Dick really wasn't surprised.

After all, Slade didn't want him to be found, now did he? Slade wanted him missing. He wanted Dick to be his slave, his property. There was no way he was going to give Batman a go and let him find Dick and rescue him . . . .

Unless-

No. Dick wasn't even going to think about that. No.

His pained, dark blue eyes landed on the other costume. He didn't want to do this. But there were so many people counting on him. He had to move. He had to go. He had to do as he was told. No matter what.

Standing, he reached over and grasped the costume, pain immediately shooting up his arm. He hissed, holding it with just one hand. He sighed.

"Breathe, Grayson, breathe."

He feared no one. Not pain. Not Slade. Not the future.

But that was a lie. He was more than afraid. He was terrified. He didn't know what Slade really wanted him to do, but it couldn't be good. Nothing could be good.

His eyes wandered to his hand. There was a deep burn that throbbed. It was a mark, one that placed a brand on him like a cow. He was an animal. He belonged to slade. The insignia was of the pointed S with a circle around it. It hurt more when he looked at it.

He remembered that moment more than anything else. It hurt so badly.

Remembering the moment, he closed his eyes, trying to envision his friend's and family's smiling faces. Happy. He'd protect them. No matter what.

He opened his eyes, and began to change. This was for them.

This was for them.

. . .

A week. An entire week! The team hadn't seen Robin once. Not him or Batman. Usually, Robin would at least drop by a couple times. And his absence brought up some uneasy questions. Did something happen? Were they alright? Was Robin going to come back? Where was Robin? Was he okay?

The team was more than worried. They started asking the older heroes about Batman and Robin every time they came in the mountain. Even to the point of worrying and annoying the heroes.

But that didn't matter to them.

What mattered was the safety of their teammate.

Finally, the heroes, who already knew what was going on, but were forced by Batman to remain quiet, went to Batman telling him to tell them or let them do it. It was rare Batman was forced into a corner, but in his desperate state, he was doing a lot of abnormal things.

But he didn't want to tell them. That could only cause problems. And he only wanted to tell them if he had to.

He planned on getting Robin back very quickly.

But it had already been a week with Robin missing.

He pushed thoughts like that out of his head, though. He gave the team something to do. A mission.

And so that's where they were. On the Bioship on their way to Jump City. They were to intercept a small number of thefts. It was their job to stop the thefts and deliver the perpetrator to the police.

Wally wasn't happy. It was obvious by his angered expression. He felt that it was a filler-job to take their minds off of Robin. Just another way to keep them occupied. And he was starting to think that Roy was right. They were seen as a bunch of kids playing hero that needed to be protected. And he was sick of it.

"Landing now." Miss Martian stated, a faltering smile on her face.

"Beautiful, babe." Kid Flash said without his usual vigor.

Artemis let out a growl. "The stupid League. They couldn't just tell us what's up with Robin?"

Conner frowned. "They didn't hold up to their part of the deal." When he noticed everyone's stares he stated. "Get on board or get out of the way."

Megan sighed. "We're not worthy of trust." Her sad voice sounded slightly angered.

"I thought they had finally begun to trust us." Murmured Aqualad.

"No!" Kid Flash stood, unable to sit and started pacing. "It's just like Roy said! To the League, we're kids. We're kept busy. We're kept in our place. We're a joke! We can't even get the League to tell us what happened to our own teammate! I-"

"Someone just went inside." Aqualad interrupted.

Kid Flash sighed. "Let's go get them. The faster we do, the faster we get out of here."

The team moved out, ready to catch the criminal. They were completely unaware of the consequences they would bring upon themselves and those close to them.

FudoTwin17: Okay, I'm feeling better now. But if you give me a flamer, I promise you I will cry. Okay. Bye.


	8. Chapter 7: Renegade

FudoTwin17: Hello, my friends!

LittleVamp101: They aren't- ***FudoTwin17 slams her over the head with a brick***

FudoTwin17: Ah, that felt so amazing.

Cat: I'm sure it did. Now, get on to the chapter. You have some reviewers who would like to read.

FudoTwin17: Right. I don't own YJ. I wish I did, though. I wish I owned Slade, too!

LittleVamp101: ***groans***

FudoTwin17: ***hits her over head with the brick again*** Come on. We've got to find a place for the body.

Cat: Might as well.

Chapter 7

Kid Flash stayed perfectly still, watching the thief. It was so against his nature. He wanted to be over there, beating the crap out of this guy, but he couldn't. Aqualad's plan was simply to wait for him to attempt to touch it so that they could get him on more than breaking and entering.

So he waited.

Thankfully, though, the thief wasn't waiting long or really paying attention to anything around him. Kid Flash barely noticed a slight limp. However, he was so bathed in darkness that Kid Flash wasn't sure if even half the time he was really looking at the guy.

The criminal reached a hand out and barely grazed the surface of a small, compact, metal box when-

"Stop!" Aqualad's voice exploded as all the lights turned on.

The thief spun around to face them. Kid Flash finally was able to look at the thief. He was a boy, somewhat short. Halfway down his neck a black, tight suit began. It clung to his skin. A dark silver metal armor was attached to the black costume at his shoulders, upper and lower arms, and at his waist, where they were instead made into a utility belt. He wore black, metal boots that started at his knees and pointed outward with two points like a snake's tongue. His gloves had the same two pointedness and came to his hands. His palms were openly displayed, although the fighting stance of the boy made seeing his palms somewhat rough. Coming from the gloves were kind of spike-like tabs made of the metal with sharp tips. On the backside and the right side of his costume were circled S shapes.

But Kid Flash was staring at his face.

The ebony had perfectly darkened hair and agonized, dark blue seas for eyes. On his pale face, Kid Flash easily saw the rough bruising under his right eye and cut above his left. A spot on his lip was scabbed over as if it had begun healing. Even on the half of his neck that could be seen there was horrid yellowing bruising.

"Robin?" Kid Flash asked, not watching as his friends all paled, realizing that their suspicion was right.

His eyes darkened if it were possible. "Not any more."

And he attacked.

The first thing he did was move to Superboy, pulling out two enigma sticks and attacking. Superboy wouldn't attack Robin, just block. He couldn't do it.

Aqualad, seeing the distress, rushed forward. He tried to grasp the boy, but the moment he got a good enough hold to pull Robin off of Superboy, Robin grappled him with his legs and went headfirst into a flip, landing Aqualad a painful spot on the floor.

Megan quickly connected the mindlink. _How-What-_

_ No time to question this right now. _Aqualad replied. _We have to-We have to capture him. But we bring him to the League, not the police._

Just like that, he attacked Kid Flash. The speedster couldn't fight, though. It was as if he couldn't make himself go faster. He couldn't force himself to really fight his best friend. But Robin could.

Robin threw the speedster into a wall, trying not to show how much it hurt to do that simple task. Thankfully, the boy didn't get up, whether or not he could have. He just laid there in shock.

Megan couldn't stay there, but . . . .

Robin threw himself at Artemis, who barely dodged. He wasn't joking around and he wasn't going easy on her. It was for real this time. She was down almost instantly.

Then his icy gaze fell on Megan. Seeing her paralyzing fear, he turned away from the team to retrieve the box. But instead of letting him go, Megan flew at him. She couldn't let him go. She just-She-She-

She grasped his hand as he spun around.

He gasped. Suddenly agony electrocuted her, letting her back arch in pain. Just like that, it was gone. But they weren't in the same warehouse.

. . .

The team were standing in a group. They were in a very open room. It had gears and seemed to bleed into darkness wherever they turned. In front of them there was a screen with random videos and a chair in front of it. However, their eyes were on the figures in the center of the room.

Robin was struggling to his knees in front of an all too familiar figure.

"Slade." Growled Superboy. But the man didn't even turn.

But he was without his mask. Silver hair, an eye patch, a goatee, his face. That was him.

Yet Robin was without the mask as well. The icy blue eyes clenched tight in pain as he tried to stand. He was missing his gloves, his belt, and even his boots. Sweat and blood seemed to cover him. His breaths were rigid and shallow, as if he were afraid to irritate his ribs.

Slade impatiently rose a hand and slapped the boy.

With a sharp gasp, Robin collapsed again.

"I said get up." Slade stated in an oily voice.

"Y-Yes, Master." Robin replied. Once again he struggled to his feet. This time, though, he made it up. However, by time he was standing, his hand went to his ribs. Taking a shallow breath, he stood as straight as he could.

"Good."

Superboy seemed unable to control himself any longer. He threw himself at the intimidating figure in front of their youngest member.

"Superboy!" Exclaimed Aqualad.

However his worry was for not. Superboy's powerful fist went straight threw Slade's head as if he were imaginary. He blinked, staring. Kid Flash pulled him back over to the group as Slade sized up Robin.

Megan stepped over, touching the clone's arm. "I-I think I took us into Robin's me-memories." She stumbled over her words. "I-I don't know what happened! Bu-But I can't seem to-to get us out." Her lip trembled.

"Come, Robin." Slade commanded. He led the boy into the shadows through a small door down a dark hall into a shadowy room. Inside, the shadows were interrupted by a small, brick oven. From an open metal trap door, embers glowed brightly. Slade stepped forward, pulling out a metal rod from the embers. On the end was the insignia of Slade, a pointed S surrounded by a circle. "Step forward."

Robin stepped forward with no hesitation.

"Hold out your hand." And Robin did so, but slightly hesitantly.

"No one dies?" Robin asked, eyes sharp and burning brighter than the embers with passion.

"You have my word." Slade stated. "Just do as I say."

Robin sighed as he opened his hand and letting Slade do as he wished. The man pushed the burning metal into the boy's palm. He let out a small gasp.

The smell of burning flesh filled the team's nostrils. The smell made Megan gasp in horror and retreat backward into Conner's arms. Aqualad felt himself freeze. Artemis felt her arms turn to jelly as she collapsed on her knees, unable to look away. Wally just stood there in shock.

This couldn't be happening.

And it wasn't.

. . .

Suddenly, they were back on the ground, staring with wide eyes at their youngest member. Only horror could be seen on their faces as he pulled his hand from Megan's grasp and held it in agony, trying his best not to show the pain. Seeing their stares, he reached into his belt with his good hand and pulled out a smoke bomb, creating dark shadows of blackness for him to loose himself in.

And indeed, when the smog cleared, their teammate and the box were gone.

They had to speak with Batman immediately.

. . .

Slade opened the box, revealing a dark blue, pulsing, metal sphere. Smiling, Slade closed the lid, looking up at his apprentice who was kneeling before Slade. "Good work, Robin-"

"I'm not Robin." Robin stated, looking up at the moster. "Not any more, Master."

"Then who are you?" Slade asked.

Robin's eyes sparkled with thought and agony. He had the answer.

"Renegade."

Slade smiled.

_Traitor._

FudoTwin17: Okay, I like it. I'll update as soon as possible, but you know how things can be.

Cat: Besides, we still have to find a sufficient hiding place for the body.

FudoTwin17: Yeah, my closet didn't work out. Bye! Review!


	9. Note

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

Lazruth

ragnrock kyuubi

SpiritWriterXXX

Ace6151

FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

Masane Amaha's King

Blueexorist

Nero Angelo Sparda

Sharkteeth

DAPC

Kyuubi16

bunji the wolf

EternalKnight219

Shi Kami The Murderous Prodigy

DeathNoteMaker

Nostalgic Remedy

Paco the Taco Maker

Ireadtomuch

Marauder Heir

ScifiSOS

ncalkins

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

Lazruth

ragnrock kyuubi

SpiritWriterXXX

Ace6151

FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

Masane Amaha's King

Blueexorist

Nero Angelo Sparda

Uzunaru999

The Next Muse

Yumiko21

Asmileadaykeepmeway

Youwillnotstopme

Firewillburn

917brat

Mai Ascot

ForbbidenForest

Blood of the Dawn

FudoTwin17

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. I just found this on a story by Blood of the Dawn and I can seriously agree. I've had some serious hate mail and one author out to get me whom FanFiction won't allow me to block. I love you all if you read this and I'm sorry to disappoint you guys with the fact that this isn't a chapter. The next chapter I promise WILL be a real chapter, however I'm going on Hiatus until the end of Finals (Friday). Sorry, again. Please, post this to any of your stories if you feel the same. Thank you for all support and reviews. I love you all.


	10. Chapter 8: My Most Prized Possession

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. Not feeling too hot and it's kinda late, so I'm gonna just skip the beginning part. Anyways, I've been trying to write for months, but it's like someone hit me over the head with a hammer every time I do. Anyways, I hope that this manages to get on the site considering how bad things have been lately and everything going on. I don't own YJ. I hope you enjoy this.

Chapter 8

Slade spoke slowly and smoothly, his voice very compelling. He knew what he wanted and he knew he was going to get it. "I have an apprentice." He began his monologue. "A new one. The League wants him as well. I would prefer that they never got the chance to take him."

"What would you like us to do?" Questioned one voice, the voice that Slade recognized easily as Ra's Al Ghul. His voice, his found, was compelling as well, but there was a trace of heat behind his words that Slade rarely had. It was a kind of conviction, he was sure, but Slade scowled at the idea of it in his voice. It made the owner feel cocky and sometimes forget that they could be beaten or killed like any other man, even if it was a little harder in Ra's case.

"I don't care to specify. Simply keep them from finding us."

"We understand." Stated a smooth voice of honey that, slightly amused, Slade found came from Queen Bee. His lips slid up at the corners behind his mask.

"Good."

"And in return?" Came a stiff, robotic voice. Slade's eye narrowed at the screen, showing his obvious displeasure through the simple, easily dismissed sign.

"I and my apprentice will remain loyal to the Light."

. . .

Everyone at the cave was quiet. No one went to move to detach the speedster from the Bat simply because they were all frozen in shock. Black Canary, the Flash, and Red Tornado stood behind the teenagers. The team was pale and a little bit bruised, but other than that, they were healthy.

But it wasn't due to one of their injuries that the room was silent.

It was because of the speedster. Wally's hood was down, showing off the absolute anger and raw fear and pain he felt from seeing his best friend in agony and on the wrong side of the law. His teeth were gritted together and his emerald eyes only showed fury. His fists were gripping Batman's suit, pulling him forward in a way that Batman could easy get out of, but simply didn't. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he glared at the young man inches from his face.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Wally growled, his voice low and raw, sounding as if he had just finished crying or woke up. His voice seemed to shock the occupants of the room back to the nightmarish reality they were in.

"Wally-" His uncle began, his voice sympathetic, but he only barely got out the word before Wally's voice echoed through the room once again, cutting him off.

"Why?" His voice was loud, ringing through the silent room and bringing a dull sensation, a pounding really, to Batman's temple, though he didn't show it. "Why?" The boy whispered, repeating himself more or less to fill the absolute silence than anything else.

"Kid-" Began his uncle again at Batman's silence, but Wally didn't let him finish.

"Why? Why didn't you tell us he was missing?" With the angry words lashing at the man in front of him, Wally jolted him forward, bringing their eyes, although one pair hidden by a mask, centimeters away. Pain made it so that Wally couldn't think rationally, and lose the usual fear and respect he held for the man in front of him.

Batman grasped the young man's wrist warningly, eyes sharp behind his mask. "There was no need-"

"NO NEED!" Wally roared, sending Megan into a silent crying fit. Numbly, Conner pulled her into his arms. "My best friend is GONE! And he's been missing for a WEEK, an entire WEEK! AND YOU DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO TELL US! YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FINE TO JUST WAIT AND LET US FIND OUT ON OUR OWN WHEN HE BEAT US UP! WHEN WE WERE FORCED TO FIGHT HIM!" Wally's sight turned bloody and his rage controlled him so completely that he didn't feel his arm pull back to punch the world's greatest detective in the jaw.

_The world's greatest detective that can't find my best friend. _Wally found himself thinking bitterly before he was suddenly unable to move.

His arm was twisted behind his back and he found a body was hovering just above his, but just low enough for him to know it was right above his back, but high enough that he wouldn't be touched. Wally gritted his teeth as he heard the quiet, yet somehow loud voice of the dark knight.

"Listen very carefully. For the past week I have been following every single lead that I have found for them to be nothing. Every clue, every idea, every possibility. I will not allow this psychopath to keep Robin. And you were uninformed because, so far, there has been nothing that could possibly be useful that any of you could do. As well as that, we have secret IDs that we need to keep safe. Until now, this has not been of importance to share the secret IDs." Batman stared down the line of teens as he spoke, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now it is. As well as this, I will tell you what we know of Robin's situation."

Everyone was quiet. Slowly, but deliberately, Batman released the ginger in his brace and stared at the line of teenagers that his boy, his kid would willingly place his life in. But if Robin trusted them, then so would he.

Slowly, his fingers slid up to remove his hood.

Artemis was the first to gasp. His black hair and hard eyes were easily recognizable to her. She had seen him on the news so much that it shouldn't have been a surprise that Wally also sucked in a sharp breath.

The man that stood before them was the dark knight. Batman. The world's greatest detective. One of the founders of the Justice League of America. And that man was also Bruce Wayne. A multimillionaire. Playboy.

Artemis blanched. _No way. _

The kid. The Grayson kid. He was Robin. One of her closest friends. One of her closest friends was going to school with her and she never even knew it!

"Dick." She found herself whispering. "Dick Grayson is Robin?"

"Yes." Bruce Wayne stated simply, his dark eyes seeming even more dark, but much more dangerous.

"Wh-What about the rest?" Conner asked. Kaldur nodded, drawing himself up to look at Bruce in the eye, trying to show him that they could handle the answer. Bruce pursed his lips.

"A week ago, I found a video." He began slowly, eyes dark as he began going through everything that had happened. "The video showed Dick committing a crime and I confronted him over it. Due to the video's effects, no one realized that the cave was being gassed-"

"The Batcave was gassed!" Exclaimed Wally in shock, interrupting the dark knight.

Batman glared at Wally for a moment before he continued. "I was knocked unconscious and Dick was taken. Yes, from the Batcave." He added, glaring at Wally for a moment. Wally shut his gaping mouth and set his face into an unfamiliar scowl. "For the past week, I have been following any and all leads. Unfortunately, every time I get close, something comes up that distracts me and in that time frame, the trail goes cold. That is, until you found him."

After the short and less detailed summary, silence took hold of the cave. Megan's voice was small when she spoke. "Now what do we do?"

Bruce gave her a short look before pulling his cowl back up and turning on his heel toward the computer. "Find him."

. . .

Barbara bit her lip. She had spent a whole miserable month without her best friend. She had wanted to apologize so many times in that period after she found out that a girl named Victoria, who hated her guts, had overheard Mr. Wilson talking over the phone about her and was the real one to tell everyone about her and her dad and then told a bunch of people that it was really Dick that told her.

Barbara felt like she should have won the worst friend in the world award.

But no matter how many times Barbara would text or call him, he wouldn't answer. At first, she wondered if he was mad at her for getting so mad at him. After all, it wasn't Dick's fault and she had blamed him just because some girl had said that he was the one to spill her secrets about her dad. But after a few days of nothing and him not being at school, she began to worry.

And that was when she found out that her best friend was missing. It was plastered all over the news and on every headline. Barbara had felt sick, having to sit down when she saw. _Please, talk 2 me!_ He had begged her to tell him why she had sent him those angry texts and she didn't answer him. She ignored him.

And now he might be dead.

Barbara's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't think about that. It made her feel a sort of horror and sickness in the pit of her stomach.

She was a horrible friend.

Barbara scratched her eye irritably, suddenly shocked by the warmth that touched her fingers. Tears. She was crying. Barbara didn't cry. She just didn't. She swallowed harshly.

But those were tears falling down her face.

She whipped them away angrily, desperately pulling down her window and jumping out onto the fire escape. She slid down easily and ran, choking on suddenly known sobs and desperately whipping away water droplets and hair from her face. For the longest time, she just ran until she found herself in the park. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was.

Gotham Park.

Where she had met Dick.

Barbara swallowed thickly as she came to a tall Oak that was huge enough that it stretched high above many buildings that surrounded the little park in the huge, populated, polluted city. She smiled lightly. She fell to her knees, quickly turning and sitting properly, hands gently feeling the grass beneath her fingers.

. . .

_A bright smile fit on Barbara's lips, her eyes closed as her hands fell at her side. It was nearly ten and extremely dangerous in Gotham at night, especially for a ten year old, but Barbara needed time alone, so she had fixed her pillows and sneaked out the window to the park to the old Oak tree that was her special place when she was alone. She felt the light breeze ruffle her hair, the bark against her back through her shirt, and the smooth grass, dewy and wet, between her fingers._

_ Suddenly, a light sniffling could be heard. Her eyes snapped open, tiredness gone. A boy stood before her. He was small, very small. And pale. His hair was ebony and his eyes, ringed with red, were the darkest blue she had ever seen. His lips trembled as he desperately tried to rid his face of tears._

. . .

Barbara smiled sadly, stopping her attempts to stem the flow of tears from her eyes. She stared at the space in front of her, practically seeing the boy she had met all those years ago. Her breath came out short.

She moved over slightly, as if offering the illusion a seat.

. . .

_"Are you alright?" Barbara called out to the boy. He could only be seven or eight. She worried about him being all alone out in the city. He didn't look all that tough all pale and clammy. _

_ He froze at her voice staring for a moment. He opened his mouth to reply but a choking sound came up instead. He covered his mouth before going to speak again. "I-I'm sorry." He went back to being absolutely silent again._

_ Barbara blinked. The ten year old wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. In the end, she simply settled for a simple sentence. "Come here. Sit with me." She scooted over a bit and smiled as __brightly as she could._

_ The little boy came over and Barbara smiled brightly, gesturing to the spot beside her. To her happiness, the kid collapsed beside her. "What's your name?"_

_ "Dick." He managed to spit out._

_ "Cool. I'm Barbara!"_

. . .

Barbara looked up at the stars, a clear smile on her face. She and Dick had talked for the longest time. She took a deep breath. At the time, Dick had been in pain, but she helped him. He got a friend. And in the long run, so did she. And, whether or not she cared to admit it, Barbara loved her best friend.

Subconsciously, the girl glanced up at the towering tree. A small but genuine smile lit up her face, still flushed, wet, and puffy-eyed from crying.

. . .

_ "I liked climbing trees-" Dick said slightly unsure, but no longer crying._

_ "Climbing trees? Bet I can beat you to the top!" Barbara exclaimed, excitement showing in her eyes. A grin stretched her pink lips into an interesting expression on her face alike the look of laughter._

_ "No way!" Exclaimed Dick, very suddenly immersed in the conversation now that competition was involved. As much as he was scolded for it when he was younger, Dick was very competitive. His smile told Barbara as much._

_ "Prove it then! First to the top wins!" The two kids jumped up to their feet, facing the humongous Oak. "Ready, set, go!" The children sprang into action, grasping at twigs and branches, trying to beat each other. Despite Barbara only beginning it to get Dick to lighten up, she found herself having fun and very much so wanting to win. _

_ Although she was at a large disadvantage as Dick was swinging and flipping up as if he were a human rubber band. _

_ Barbara laughed for the sheer joy of climbing the tree. It was nice and for once, she wasn't thinking about how all her friends had moms while she didn't or the way that no one acted the same around her because she was the Commissioner's daughter._

_ All she felt were splinters and pure bliss._

. . .

Barbara bit her lip. Not knowing what came over her, she stood and grasped a nearby branch. She heaved herself up and instantly found herself climbing up. She laughed to herself. She knew it wasn't the same, it wasn't that pure bliss that she had felt, although the splinters were still the same.

Without Dick, it wasn't the same. But she still felt so much happier now that she was climbing like a ten year old. It felt so nice.

So perfect.

. . .

_ Barbara knew that she lost. But she didn't care. She was enjoying herself too much to care. She glanced up, her hand reaching for another branch when she suddenly felt herself being pulled back again by her hair. She gasped as she lost her hold on the branch and began to fall backward._

_ Fear gripped her heart. It was a long drop. If she fell, she wasn't getting back up. Ever. Even as a ten year old she knew it and it put that one branch into perceptive. She lost her footing and was losing the hold she had with the other hand when-_

_ She suddenly felt a warm hand pull her forward. She blinked. The hand was warm and strong and she was surprised to see that it came from the small, pale, and clammy boy. He didn't look that strong. _

_ He hoisted her up to a spot on the tree where the trunk separated into three separate branches. She sat down, breathing hard. Then, she set her big chocolate eyes on his dark blue ones. _

_ "I won't let you fall." He promised._

. . .

Tears pricked her eyes as the promise hit her once she had reached the ledge. She curled up into a ball, just leaning against one of the trunks. Her hands were shaking.

He said that he wouldn't let her fall. He promised to be there. But where was he? And more importantly, why did she get so angry at him? She felt her chest heave with a silent sob.

She loved her best friend.

. . .

_"Really?" She asked, voice wavering slightly. As much as the ten year old would hate to admit it, she was clammy and pale. Right then, she just wanted to listen to his voice, the voice of someone living and breathing._

_ It was almost funny how she started out as the one reassuring and turned into the one being reassured. _

_ "Never." He stated, hand latching around hers. They were warm._

. . .

"Never." She whispered, voice hoarse. "You said never." She almost fell into another crying fit when something caught her eye.

She scampered onto all fours, careful of the height, before she crawled forward to see a hole in one of the branches. There was something shinny in it. She reached in, hand securing around something smooth and velvety. It felt nice on her hand.

When she pulled it out, she was shocked to see a small, black box. It was velvet and felt nice on her hands, comforting even, although his hand would have been much more comforting. There was a crimson ribbon wrapped around it and tied in a beautifully done bow. She fingered the bow absentmindedly. It felt nice between her fingertips.

She bit her lip. Should she open it? After all, who knew why it was in the tree or who it belonged to! Then again, who else would come up to her special place other than Dick and herself? Them and squirrels, that's who.

However, her fingers still trembled as she considered pulling the ribbon out from it's excessively beautiful bow. She closed her eyes and pulled, telling herself she would just put it back if the box was for someone else (which it most likely was).

She held the bow for a moment before slowly and cautiously flipping up the lid of the box. Taking a deep breath, she looked down and her eyes widened. She felt more tears spring up to her eyes and she felt as if she were choking.

Yes, this box was hers.

And there was no mistaking it.

. . .

FudoTwin17: Okay, I like it. And I'm very happy that I have finally been able to write a chapter. Writer's block sucks. :( Okay, love you guys. Bye.


	11. Chapter 9: I Hate You

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. Sorry for how long it's been. I'd give you my excuses, but I've got a feeling that you would rather read. :) Anyways, I've had a rough few months, so I hope that you guys aren't too harsh about my horrendous updating habits.

Cat: I repeat; Horrendous updating habits.

FudoTwin17: ***scowl* **Anyways, love you guys and I'm sorry this. Hope you like it!

Goldfish # 4: She doesn't own YJ or Slade.

FudoTwin17: Ooh! I forgot! Do you guys want me to use my OC? Because I have many uses for her, but if you don't want her, I won't use her.

Cat: Onto the story!

Chapter 9

Artemis was quiet at the end of the day. Going to school had almost felt unreal, but she had made herself go. She couldn't help but stare at the trophies cabinet when she saw Dick's picture and multiple trophies with his name plastered on them. At lunch, she couldn't help it when her eyes wandered to the lonely redhead who sat at his table. And most of all, she couldn't help the sick feeling in her stomach when she headed to the gym after school, hoping to find the abusive teacher that had been screwing with her friend for so long.

She didn't know why, but he was the one that she blamed above all. She heard Dick admit to being played with by the scoundrel. He admitted that he was hurting, even if he didn't say it. He admitted that this man had been playing with his emotions and his past.

Artemis sighed. She wished that she could just have known sooner.

The Batman hadn't planned on showing any of them those videos. However, the bat must have been tired (she'd heard Superman say the man had only slept an hour that week) and exhausted, because when he slipped off for coffee, he'd left the video paused on the screen of Mount Justice. While Superman had begged Batman to go and take a rest for just a few minutes, Wally had gathered them around the video.

Artemis just couldn't get it out of her head. It was burned into her memory, and she was powerless against it.

. . .

_ "What's going on?" Artemis questioned as Wally dragged her into the main area of the cave. The entire rest of the team were all there, and the glowing, blue holographs floated in front of them. The largest one had a video ready to be played. Her attention was immediately grasped by the frozen picture of her friend in word out clothes and the intimidating, white-haired man with an eyepatch in front of him. _

_ "Bats put up some footage of Rob and that teacher that he was complaining about. I don't know what it has to do with Robin's disappearance, but I figure that it's gotta be important." Wally stated, releasing her hand to type at one of the holographic screens._

_ "What could that teacher have to do with his disappearance?" Questioned Megan, her eyes determined though sad._

_ "Don't know yet." Wally stated evenly. "But maybe this'll give us a clue." At that, the video started playing, and their eyes followed their friend._

_ Robin's breath was slightly short, but fairly even. He seemed angry at the teacher before him. Considering that they were placed in a gym, Artemis assumed that the man was the PE teacher. "I've been working for an hour and a half. The agreement was an hour. I need to go." His tone was oddly cold and it shocked Artemis._

_ His teacher seemed angered by the show of disrespect of the boy, but his response was calm. "You will stay and practice until I say it is time."_

_ Robin scowled. "I promised my friends-"_

_ "Are your friends more important than your grade?" Questioned the man, eyes flashing._

_ "Yes! I still have to get my best friend a-" He was cut off roughly by a slap. It must have been painful as the loud clapping sound it made was caught by the camera. It was obviously shocking to him to as he hit the floor hard, eyes wide._

_ The team seemed to react instantly. Wally gaged, eyes wide. Megan gasped in shock, stumbling forward. Conner made a loud growling noise, fists clenching. Kaldur's eyes widened dramatically, his lips parting in a silent gasp. _

_ But Artemis just stared. She seemed frozen, unable to react. What was going on here? A teacher couldn't hit a student and get away with it! Unless . . . unless the student hid it. But Robin wouldn't do that! He . . . he couldn't. Robin wasn't a typical boy who would just let someone do this to him. _

_ Right?_

_ The gym teacher stood over her friend intimidatingly. He stared heartlessly down at Dick. Though the camera couldn't see Dick's face, she felt like she knew exactly what he looked like; wide-eyed and horrified. The monster's voice came out cold and manipulative. "Here, you will not speak of them." He stated simply. "You will do what I say or your grade will suffer. And you will not speak a word of this to anyone."_

_ Artemis just barely caught a glance at Dick's scowl as he stood. "And if I do?"_

_ The man smiled, chuckling. He leaned in closely and whispered something in his ear. Dick seemed to gag. He stumbled back, eyes wide. From his new stance, she could see how pale he had gotten._

_ "Do you understand?" The man's oily voice made the hairs on the back of Artemis's neck stand up. Dick only stared until the man's tone hardened. "I said, do you understand?"_

_ She watched, horrified as Dick's head bowed in submission. "Y-Yes, Mr. Wilson."_

_ The gym teacher smirked. "Good." As he turned and began to walk away, he spoke over his shoulder. "You may go. Tomorrow, I expect for you to be here until five." _

_ Artemis gaged, "That's nearly three hours!"_

_ Their eyes widened. They all stared in horror at their younger brother as he collapsed on the ground, eyes wide. He seemed in shock for a moment before he quickly drew a shaky breath and stood. They watched as he gathered his things and slid off camera. The team stood there, staring at the footage in shock until they heard a deep voice speak behind them._

_ "I've been watching this over and over. I can't seem to figure out just what he said to threaten Dick or if it could be connected to his abduction. He didn't say it loud enough to be caught on tape so even those with super-hearing haven't been able to help." The team turned back toward the dark knight. He stood calmly and tiredly, dark purple bags under his showing eyes and a cup of hot coffee in his hands. "It's the only lead I have at the moment."_

_ The team stared. There was nothing to say and no words to describe their horror. _

_ They needed their little brother._

_ And Artemis knew she would get him back if it was the last thing she did._

. . .

Artemis sighed. Somehow, after that Artemis had pinned all her anger on him. If she felt anger, she saw his face. It was his fault. Of course, she knew it was really Deathstroke's fault, but she just didn't have a face to imagine. Just that mask.

And Artemis needed the face so that she could image what it would look like when she was done with it. Thus, Artemis found herself in the gym, not really knowing what she was going to do. However, she knew that she couldn't turn back. She had just walked into the gym when she saw someone that immediately stopped her in her tracks.

It was that girl that always sat with Dick. Bette had introduced them before and Artemis had talked with her, though briefly, before. She found herself struggling to remember her name. She knew it started with a B, but . . . Brittany? Brenda? No . . . they just didn't fit.

No! It was Barbara.

Somehow, Artemis couldn't help but wonder what kind of girl had attracted Dick's attention. She wanted to know her. She wanted to know what kind of person Dick could be so tightly woven with. Artemis found herself approaching a bit quickly.

"Um, Barbara, right?" Asked Artemis as she approached.

Barbara turned, eyes wide. She seemed to have changed after her last hour into a pair of dark skinny jeans, a green sweatshirt, and a pair of black converse. Her red hair slid over her shoulder as the girl tightened her grip on her backpack's strap so tight that her knuckles turned white. Artemis couldn't help but notice as her left hand immediately shoved itself into her hood's pockets. "Uh, hi, Artemis."

At the sad look in her eyes, Artemis couldn't help but remember that this was Dick's best friend in school and she knew almost nothing about where her best friend in the world was. She didn't know if he was even alive. At least the team had that information. "I'm really sorry about Dick."

A look of panic crossed her face and Artemis knew that she said the wrong thing. "He-He's not dead. A ransom will come soon. One always does. He-he's coming back." The girl stuttered. It hit Artemis that it sounded like she had tried to apologize about a dead man. Her heart jumped into her throat at the thought.

"Yeah, he is." Artemis agreed. "He'll be back before we know it."

Barbara smiled at her, looking pained. A look crossed her face before she spoke almost hesitantly. "Can I ask you something?"

Artemis's heart jumped as she looked up. "Y-Yeah. Of course."

Barbara took a deep breath. "What would you do if you hurt your best friend in the world before he vanished into thin air?"

Artemis paused at the question, her eyes wandering to the pained look on Barbara's face. She looked so . . . vulnerable. And pained. Artemis ground her teeth at her sudden anger. How _dare_ he take away this girl's closest friend? How dare he cause her so much hurt? How dare he take away the one person in the world who deserved to smile?

Artemis's eyes darkened as she spoke. "I would do everything in my power to get him back."

. . .

FudoTwin17: Wow. That was weird. I had this other whole thing planned with the principal, the footage, and the gym teacher, but I guess that'll be next chapter.

Cat: Hope you like it!

FudoTwin17: Yep! Don't forget to review! And maybe request. I like requests!


	12. Chapter 10: Cowards

FudoTwin17: Hey! I'm back!

Cat: Yup.

FudoTwin17: Anyways, right now there is a tornado within twenty minutes of here. I admit I'm freaking out a bit. However, writing helps with panic and I'm writing now. Anyways, the tornado's heading away from here, so we're probably fine, but it was a bit freaky earlier.

Dog # 1: And it was storming. I don't like storms.

FudoTwin17: Nope. But that's hopefully all behind us now. I really need to write, so I'm gonna write now. I don't own YJ.

Chapter 10

By time Barbara's sixth hour had rolled around, she was ready to bolt. Siting there, listening to everyone talk was just getting harder and harder, especially since she had found the box in their special place. Her hands shook, making the ring on her finger nearly cut the skin as she clenched her fists. She sighed unhappily.

They had no right to talk about her best friend the way they were. No right!

"Yeah, you know. I wonder where the brat is. It's no doubt he got kidnapped again." That stupid chick in front of her was saying, shaking her head. It was girls like her that gave blonds bad names.

"I'm starting to think that Wayne is orchestrating them all." A jerk said next to her. Barbara recognized him immediately. It was Davis Philips, the former mathlete champion. He was a jealousy case. After all, he had jumped from number one in the mathletes to number two. It was prats like him that made Barbara want to beat others up. After all, he was a fellow mathlete, someone who by all means should be Dick's friend, not some git who beats on people smaller (and smarter) than him.

"What?" Asked another girl, turning around in her seat to join in.

"Think about it." Davis began, dropping his pencil so that he could focus more on slandering her best friend and his adoptive dad. "Every time the freak gets kidnapped, Wayne has to pay. Let's say he needs to pay ten million by the next day-"

"So?" Asked the girl who had turned around. "He's a millionaire."

Barbara wanted to scoff. He was more than a millionaire. He was a _multi-billionaire_.

"Yeah, but not even Wayne keeps his money entirely in cash. He uses banks. And you can't get that much money in a day, whether a life depends on it or not. So, with the approval of some of his advisors, obviously being paid off, he just takes the money from the company." Davis said, an air of superiority around him.

"But it's his company. His money! I don't see your point." Stated the blond in front of Barbara.

Barbara herself felt light headed. She had gotten the point the moment that he had brought up the banks. It was obvious that this topic had been resting on the boy's mind for far too long. It both greatly disturbed and disgusted Barbara, making her feel sick.

"It might be Wayne's company, but it's not all his money." Disagreed Davis, shaking his head patiently at the two girls, his tone making more people than just Barbara listen in. "He's set aside part of it for the needy. Soup kitchens, public fund-raisers, donations, shelters-you name it! That money is specifically set up for people other than Wayne. So, like I was saying, the gypsy gets kidnapped and Wayne needs money. He takes it out of the company. Maybe not much, but enough. We don't know what part of the company he's taking it from."

Barbara's fists clenched again and she had to restrain herself from breaking her mechanical pencil. He had no right-_no right_-to talk about her best friend that way.

"So he pays off the kidnappers and gets the kid back. If he had set up the kidnappings himself, he would get a lot of money. I mean, a thousand to a couple million each successful time? Come on! That's a lot of money that wouldn't belong to him." Davis stated it as if it were a fact, obviously drawing in the crowd easily. "And think about it! A few criminals turn up dead later that were involved and no one thinks a thing! It's obviously a cover up."

The girl who had turned around rubbed her chin, thankfully not satisfied. "I don't know. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would go along with that."

Davis rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. He's a gypsy. Of course he knows the value of money! He probably grew up learning how to steal. And even if he didn't want to, it wouldn't be hard to make him or leave him completely out of the loop. The kid's got no backbone. A threat to kick him out would do the trick. Or he could just not know, though I doubt it. He's always too happy once he gets back here. It's like he just won the lottery!"

Barbara couldn't take it anymore. She just could listen to another word.

She stood abruptly, her seat loudly scooting back behind her. A few people looked up, though most ignored her, thinking she was going to sharpen her pencil or turn in the assignment.

Angrily, she stomped over Davis's desk and grabbed his collar, pulling him out of his seat. Immediately, his eyes widened and he paled. The room went completely silent, and Barbara knew that the only reason the teacher wasn't talking was because she was in shock.

"Listen and listen close." She growled quietly, though she knew that everyone in the room was listening in with rapt attention. "My best friend is missing. He could be in serious trouble, being tortured or . . ." She swallowed hard, not wanting to say it. ". . . or dead. Yet you all find it perfectly fine to badmouth him while this is going on. It sickens me that I have to listen to you all."

"Mi-Miss Gordon!" Exclaimed the teacher, finally finding her voice.

"Mrs. Halis, I respect that you're a teacher and that you have to enforce rules regarding physical violence, but you didn't hear what they were saying about my best friend, the bravest person I've ever known." Barbara's grip tightened on Davis's collar. Though Barbara was curious why the teacher suddenly quieted, Davis's next words snapped her into full attention.

The frightened boy swallowed, trying to speak. "He-He's paying you, too, isn't he-"

"Mr. Wayne isn't paying me anything. And even if he was, I would do this for no charge. Scum like you don't deserve to even speak my best friend's name." She growled, threateningly.

He seemed to struggle to find words, his smooth tone gone. "The coward-"

"Coward?" Barbara gagged, green eyes narrowing angrily. If looks could kill, the poor boy would have been vaporized on the spot. "I'm going to tell you what that _coward _has done. He watched his parents fall to their deaths along with his cousin, aunt, and uncle. He got to watch as his family, the circus, was forced to leave Gotham without him. He survived three horrible days with his parent's killer. He's been kidnapped by some of the worst of the worst; the Joker, the Riddler, Scarecrow, Two Face, and more. And remember that last kidnapping you were talking about where ten million was demanded?" When the frightened boy didn't answer, she shook him. Faintly, he nodded. "Well, last time he wasn't that bubbly at first. Wanna know why?" Her voice was dangerously low, deceptively inviting.

He looked at her cautiously. "I-I-"

"Do you wanna know why?" Her sudden increase in volume made him squeak and nearly every person in the room jump. "He could barely stand. A broken femur, cracked tibia, the soles of his feet black and blue from being smacked with a board, three broken toes, a dislocated thumb, two spiral fracture, which is what you get when your arms are twisted behind your back until they pop," Her voice suddenly became scratchy and high pitch. The speed of her speech had increased as well as she unloaded her woes. "three broken ribs, two cracked! One of his lungs even collapsed before he got to the ER! A concussion. And that's not even the worst part. Go on. Ask. Ask me what the worst part was." She whispered, voice dropping again.

Davis looked wary, but he opened his mouth anyways. Not a word escaped before Barbara was yelling again.

"The worst was the nightmares! Over and over! I would think that it was okay. It was over. He was back home, safe and sound. I would just get him to sleep and then I'd hear-I'd-I'd hear this screaming." Her breath came short for a moment.

"Barbara-" A voice spoke, but Barbara gave it no thought. She was already yelling again. "Help! Don't touch me! Let me go! Barbara! Alfred! Bruce! Anyone!" Her voice cracked. Her hands shook, the collar of the other boy's shirt shaking with them. "Someone, please! Wally! Someone! Just kill me! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Her voice shook, and she found she almost broke down sobbing right there.

"Barb-" The voice tried again.

"He'd scream and scream, and I couldn't wake him. He'd start moving in his sleep, struggling against the people that we'd already saved him from. He'd scream and cry out in his sleep, and we would have to restrain him so he wouldn't hurt himself worse." A stray tear slid down her face. "Then he'd cry out for his mom and dad. His dead mom and dad!" The last sentence she spat at him, making everyone in the room flinch as if they'd been shocked.

_Circus freak._

They had been the one's that hurt him.

_ Charity case._

_ Gypsy._

_ Boy._

They were the ones that attacked him ruthlessly.

_ Worthless._

_ Reject._

_ Murderer._

They were the ones that made him think so little of himself.

_ Nerd._

_ Mathlete._

It was _their fault_!

"And that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that I have to sit through it all because I can't leave him. It's that I have to sit through it and know that I. can't. do. anything! It's that I'm worthless! It's that no matter what, those scars on his body will never fade and I can't do anything to make his memory of it fade either." Her eyes dropped for a moment. "He has an amazing memory."

"Barbara-"

"He remembers everything!" She yelled, cutting off the voice again. She could hear murmuring in the hallway, but she somehow couldn't find it in herself to care. "He remembers every insult, every punch, every hit to his confidence." Her voice trembled with rage that had been suppressed for years. "Do you remember the closet joke with Angelina?"

At the mention, he paled considerably. "I-I-"

"How about the dead squirrel in his locker?" At the mention of that horrible joke, a few girls gasped. "What about when you cornered him outside the gymnastic team's tryout? How you stripped him to his boxers and locked him in the janitor's closet, duct tape over his eyes and around his wrists and ankles so he couldn't escape? And those text messages that made him have to change his number?"

"I-We-He-" The stuttering boy couldn't seem to find the right words to appease her. Finally, he just stared back at her.

Somehow, Barbara couldn't let it go. Her fist drew back, ready to give the boy a bloody nose.

"Barbara!" The voice exclaimed as a firm grip appeared on her wrist. She glanced back, shocked to see a police officer. She blinked before remembering. Right, Officer Cole. He was young and had only been on the force three years, but because of his age, they thought it best to send him to her high school. He was a nice guy. She looked between the policeman and the bully, breathing hard.

Finally, her hand dropped. "You're not worth it." She whispered before lifting her head defiantly. "None of you are."

She marched back to her bag, stuffing as much of her stuff into her bag as she could before she pulled it shut and ran for the door, shoving aside those gathered at the door. Tears ran down her face as she made her way to the girl's bathroom.

No one tried to stop her.

. . .

In the bathroom, Barbara leaned over the sink. Her lungs heaved from dry sobs and lack of oxygen from her run. As her gaze stared almost unseeingly downward until a small, gold glint caught her eye. Slowly, she lifted her left hand to examine the ring again.

It was a gold band that was beautifully crafted. In the center was a single stone. It wasn't a stone she could really describe, though. Her first thought was a diamond as it acted like a prism, throwing rainbows whenever the light caught it right. Her second thought was that it had to be expensive. She had never seen something so amazing as it sparkled a dark green like her eyes. It wasn't actually dark green, just reflecting the color of her eyes. She smiled lightly.

Then, of course, the words engraved on the inside were now engraved on Barbara's mind. _Fly, my dove._

It was a wedding ring. Dick's mother's wedding ring to be exact! She sighed.

Normally she wouldn't have jumped on the band wagon of it being for her immediately, but another word had been engraved onto the ring as well. A single name. _Ba__bs._

It was hers.

Barbara sighed, searching her heart for all the answers that she hadn't been answered. Barbara sighed once again. She adjusted the ring again, trying to set it at the right angle so it'd be easier to see and appreciate.

No one had approached her since she'd found out about how he was missing. Everyone was too afraid.

That was fine with Barbara. It gave her more time to save her friend and less people to interfere. Slowly, she stretched, digging in her backpack to find a more comfortable outfit. She didn't plan on staying in her school uniform. Besides, she missed her skinny jeans.

Barbara yawned, looking at her ring again as she slung her backpack on her shoulder and prepared herself. She was about to find some answers to what happened to her best friend, or at least help him for when he got back.

When, not if.

Barbara had hope.

Though hope was more crippling than fear.

. . .

FudoTwin17: Yup. That's not how I expected it. Anyways, I meant to give you more, but I guess not. And you should know that this is kind of last chappie from Bab's pov (or at least that's how I planned it). Unfortunately, that's not what you got. But it is the same day!

Cat: Uh, huh.

FudoTwin17: And since the tornado warnings are going again, I'm going to get off. See you guys. Luv ya! Bye.


	13. Chapter 11: Partner in Crime

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. Sorry I've been gone so long!

Cat: And so it begins.

FudoTwin17: Unfortunately, it seems that I have almost less time during the summer than during school. Between getting back to full health, summer homework, helping out my mom, and avoiding my family as much as possible, it's almost painful how little time I have. But that's no real excuse. I need to write more! It's inexcusable how long I've left you guys with that painful last chapter. Thus, I hope that this is acceptable.

Cat: And so it ends.

Dog # 1: Shorter apology than usual.

FudoTwin17: Anyways, you do need to know something. I made a horrible mistake that I will now have to rectify! I forgot about one of the most important scenes in this fanfiction and I totally screwed up the entire thing because of it! Now I am fixing it. Hopefully, this will not cause any serious problems with the plot, but I have to fix it . . . or I will both be a complete moron and look like a complete moron.

Goldfish # 4: Not that you don't already.

FudoTwin17: Ha ha, very funny. ***sarcastically said* **I also messed up on Barbara's eyes. Sorry for everyone out there that noticed, and thank you, Ect0Gh0st, for pointing it out. When I forget eye color, I usually google pictures, and Bab's eye color changes with every show! First they're brown, then they're green, then they're gray-GHAK;FJD;A! And Young Justice had to go and be all like "Nah way, bro, we're gonna be jerks and make her eyes blue just to screw with FanFiction authors around the globe! Ha ha ha!" HGK;AJFK;LD! You jerks! For now on, in this story, her eyes are KALIDASCOPE COLORED (aka they change with the lighting and chemical imbalances within her body)! Ha ha HA! TAKE THAT, GREG!

Cat: Wow. She's on a rampage. ***sigh*** She doesn't own YJ.

Chapter 11

Barbara was not good at waiting for news. She had always been the type to be a bit more than impatient. She didn't like sitting and waiting, so she had always resorted to coning useful information out of people (usually her overworked father) or finding something to do to distract her.

Recently, she'd been so consumed by her guilt that she hadn't done much. Barbara decided that it was time to put a stop to that.

She took a deep breath, heading out with the other students toward the buses. She'd usually ride with Dick since her dad was usually at the station until about a half-hour after school ended, but Dick . . . well, he wasn't at school. Alfred had offered to drive her home anyways, but she had refused. Though he hid it awfully well, she knew that he must've hurt every time that he looked at the school knowing that Dick wasn't there.

Barbara sighed, eyes widening when someone accidentally pushed her into one of the side hallways. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if her bag hadn't fallen and her stuff didn't scatter everywhere.

The redhead huffed, collecting her fallen items as quickly as possible before standing up to head back to where the buses belonged. Unfortunately, she watched as they all left the exact moment that she appeared at the front doors. She bit her lip, dark eyes flashing angrily.

Could this day get any worse?

Barbara took a deep breath, leaning her head against the window. At this rate, she'd probably walk. It kinda sucked considering it was a few miles, but a little exercise never hurt anyone.

The girl stretched, gripping her bag tightly before getting ready to push open the door. However, she was interrupted as the vice principal burst from his office.

Vice principal Teck was a good natured man that most of the girls in the school considered one of the 'hot' teachers. He was blond with kind brown eyes and he always seemed to know what to say. However, as he came bustling out of the office, his kind brown eyes held an angry fire and his soft voice was barking angrily. In his temper, he didn't even seem to notice Barbara.

"What?" He exclaimed into the mobile cell phone at his ear. "What do you mean? That man has caused us more trouble than he's worth! Kids coming in complaining, targeting the ward of our best supporter, and then disappearing! He hasn't even called once during all the time he's been gone! It's downright irresponsible! Rude! He should have been fired long ago! But of course, the principal disagrees. That man . . . ." The principal sighed, a troubled look overcoming his face.

Barbara couldn't help the pounding in her chest. She had never seen him so . . . wound up before. She couldn't say why, but before he could get out of hearing range around the corner, her feet had already moved to follow him.

He paused momentarily, probably listening, before an enraged bounce came back to his defeated, slow pace. Barbara winced slightly. "What do I want you to do? Did I hear you right?" Babs winced again, not liking the bite in his voice. "I want you to do your job! Find a replacement! Send Mr. Wilson his last check and a letter to inform him that he's fired!" He paused again, and Babs almost wanted to turn around so she didn't have to hear his yells. "I don't care! The principal can-Yes, I know." Teck sighed before speaking again, his voice more sober and saddened. "You would think that Grayson took the man with him when he disappeared." Barbara watched as he shook his head. "Poor kid."

Suddenly, Babs stopped, watching as the man continued talking on his cell, rounding a corner so that she couldn't see him.

Something he said . . . . It bothered her.

_You would think that Grayson took the man with him when he disappeared._

What if . . . . What if it were the other way around?

_You would think that the man took Grayson with him when he disappeared._

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. It seemed to make perfect sense. Like the vice principal said, the Wilson had targeted Dick in class. He had manipulated him into doing those after school practices on the trapeze, too. Dick didn't want her to worry, but she had noticed the nasty looking bruises and swelling on his hands afterwards. It was obvious that he'd made Dick stay long after the allowed hour.

Barbara suddenly felt like she couldn't catch her breath. The rumors about her and her dad . . . . They all started after that girl had overhead _Mr. W__ilson_ talking over the phone about her. But who had he called?

Her dad didn't have a talk with her about school at all, meaning that he couldn't have been the one he was talking to. No one else had guardianship over her and he couldn't talk to anyone else, family or not, about her personal life or information without breaking the law. Which meant . . . .

Which meant that he couldn't have been talking on the phone at all! Which meant that he must have meant to tell her. That couldn't be right . . . could it? Did he plan all that?

Then again, after she had started . . . started ignoring him, he didn't really have anyone. He only had Mr. Wilson's training courses after school and during gym.

Suddenly, she snatched up her phone, pulling it up to her face. She quickly went through her texts from her friend, watching the times carefully. The first time they talked after practice, it was less than an hour (barely). A few texts later it was nearly an hour and thirty minutes. Barbara frowned. Then, after he had gone to appealing to her, it began at two and forty-five minutes. By the end, it was nearly four hours. She gagged.

Mr. Wilson had singled him out and isolated him, keeping him longer and longer.

The thought terrified Babs, and guilt began to slowly crawl into the back of her mind. She was no idiot. She was, after all, the police commissioner's daughter. She knew the minds of criminals a bit too well for her age. She knew the type of criminal that would single out a single kid that they liked and isolate them from everyone except themselves.

And she had seen the way that the man had watched Dick. It was predatory, manipulative. Dangerous. She hadn't liked it then, and she didn't like it now.

Babs slammed her free hand into her forehead angrily. _Stupid! _She yelled at herself. _How could you leave your best friend out in the open like that?_

She shook her head. Thinking quickly, she rushed through the hallways of the mostly empty school and found the gym teacher's office. Her eyes darkened and she slowly crept inside.

The room was very small, compact with the only light coming from a computer screen. Flicking on the light, she noticed that it was also very empty. There were only three items in there. A mahogany desk, a good chair for the desk, and the computer. She slid in quietly, slipping the door closed.

Was there any clue to where the man had gone? What about to where Dick was? Could it be possible?

As quietly as she could, she made her way to the desk. Her fingertips slid across the smooth surface gently, trembling only slightly. The beautiful wood surface didn't even have a bump. She slid open the drawers, searching swiftly, but finding nothing.

It was on the third drawer that her heart skipped a beat. While rifling through files, she had (by chance, of course) felt something brush the top of her hand that didn't feel anything like wood. It was cold and metallic, definitely not wood.

She knelt down, pulling at it with her fingernails until it came off with a sharp clanking sound. She fell back from the sudden force, blinking in surprise. Slowly, she lifted it up, staring at it. It itself was a small metal object about the size of her palm. It was a circle with what looked to be an S inside, connecting to the circle by the pointed ends. She frowned in confusion, but something inside her . . . something inside her told her to keep it.

Not thinking too much about it, the girl slid it into a pocket, enjoying the small sound as it briefly met the wedding ring on her finger.

Barbara, having some common sense, checked the other two drawers for anything taped to the top, but she found nothing. A single bead of sweat slid down her temple from the mental strain of doing this kind of work.

Babs sighed as she found nothing, heading to the computer and thinking. Log in? She wished she could. Though her best friend was the best hacker she had ever seen, Barbara was less tech-savvy. She couldn't hack in and change their schedules so that they'd have the same lunch and many of the same classes together just like she couldn't correctly guess the teacher password in one try.

Goodness, she needed Dick to help her find him!

Slowly, she took a deep breath, opening her eyes again, only for them to widen in horror. There, right there, on the side of the keyboard, was a bug. No, it wasn't a live, breathing insect. It was a piece of technology used to listen in.

Though it was true she wasn't as good as Dick was on a computer, she still was better than average. She knew the look of the bug easily from when she had seen them in the police department. This one was obviously much better and smaller than the ones from the office, but she recognized it alright. There was no no mistaking that it was a listening device.

But that brought up another question. Why would a listening device be placed in an ordinary gym teacher's office?

Because he wasn't a normal gym teacher.

He _had _to have taken Dick!

Trying not to think about the consequences of her actions, Babs opened the second drawer, pulling out one of the sticky-notes inside and quickly writing down a warning about the listening device. Once she was done, she stuck it to the computer screen where she knew no one would miss it.

Barbara sighed silently. Before she could do anything else, though, she heard footsteps. Panic immediately set in. What if she was caught behind his desk by a teacher? What if Mr. Wilson were back? What if someone caught her rifling through his things and was now going to tattle?

She couldn't have that.

She took a deep breath, pulling everything Dick had shown her about sneaking around to the forefront of her mind.

_Light on your feet, Babs. You don't want loud footsteps giving you away! Try to hide in plain sight so that people over look you easy. Careful, Barbara! Just because your clothes are the same color doesn't mean that's the best place to hide! __Don't make any unnecessary noises, either. They'll tip off whoever is around you at the moment._

Barbara smiled to herself. She knew that Dick had always gone easy on her. His footsteps (once he'd shown her a few tricks on identifying people by their footsteps) always seemed forced, as if he were stomping slightly so that he'd actually _have_ footsteps. He was the only person she had ever known to try to make himself be heard.

She pushed that away, though, trying to ignore the guilt and pain in the back of her mind.

She had to save her best friend.

With light footsteps, she flicked off the light and slid out of the room, leaving the door open just a crack so that there would be no clicking noise tipping off anyone near her. Then she was heading into the first doorway on her right, the gym. With a sigh, she relaxed, hands shaking from the scare.

She turned, leaning her forehead against the cool wall. All she wanted was to find her best friend. Was that too much to ask? Was it too much to ask that her best friend no longer be targeted for-for everything?

She had just felt her eyes get misty when a voice interrupted her musings. "Um, Barbara, right?"

Barbara was a little bit more than startled. She spun around, eyes wide and clutching her bag ridiculously tightly. Almost automatically, she slid her left hand into her pouch, hiding the ring in case it was someone that she didn't want to see the ring.

However, she was surprised at who she saw. It was Artemis, the newest scholarship student. She and Barbara had talked before, but only briefly. But Barbara knew that she had liked the blond girl from their first talk. She wasn't fake like most students, and she was a little awkward, but that made it all the better. Artemis was the type of person that Babs would want by her side in case of emergency.

Faintly, she realized that she hadn't replied. "Uh, hi, Artemis." Well that was smooth.

"I'm really sorry about Dick." Artemis said, a solemn look across her face.

Immediately, Barbara's heart pounded. Sorry? Dick was coming back. She didn't need to be sorry. He was coming-coming back. "He-He's not dead. A ransom will come soon. One always does." Babs, though, was really trying to convince herself. If Wilson was the type of person she thought he was- "He-he's coming back."

Artemis looked surprised for a moment before the sad look came back into her eyes that made Barbara want to hug her for being one of the only people who actually understood her pain. "Yeah, he is. He'll be back before we know it."

Babs smiled a pained smile before a stray thought flitted through her head. Could she trust Artemis? Could Artemis help her? The girl looked as if she were the type of girl that would set her mind and not change it. Could Artemis help her find Dick? Maybe it was a losing battle, but . . . maybe it wasn't.

"Can I ask you something?" Barbara asked, chewing her lip.

"Y-Yeah." The other girl stuttered, looking surprised before she reigned it back in. "Of course."

Taking a deep breath, Barbara looked the other girl in the eyes. "What would you do if you hurt your best friend in world before he vanished into thin air?"

There was a fire that immediately lit in Artemis's eyes that made Barbara's hand clenched around her backpack's strap tremble slightly. The look was a mixture of anger, pain, and hate-hate so strong that Barbara knew she'd never seen it before in her life. Her heart pounded as Artemis spoke slowly.

"I would do everything in my power to get him back."

Barbara could feel her hands trembling at the tone that the other girl used, and she took a deep breath. She was exactly the person that Barbara wanted to help her get back her best friend.

However, before she said anything, she thought about it. How could she be sure that Artemis would actually help? Sure, the girl wouldn't turn her down, but Babs needed someone who wouldn't give up at the first stick in the road. Barbara didn't know her well enough to say that Artemis wouldn't give up.

Thus, Babs took a deep breath, allowing the small cunning part of her mind take over. "Thank you. It's just been so hard, you know."

"Yeah." Artemis said in a soft tone, her voice sympathetic.

"I mean, with Mr. Wilson targeting Dick, and then both of them disappearing." Barbara sighed, not meeting Artemis's eyes. She felt a little bad that she was stringing Artemis along like this, but she needed to find Dick, no matter what, and that was the most important thing to Barbara at the moment.

"Mr. Wilson disappeared?" Artemis asked in surprise. Glancing up briefly, Babs caught something in Artemis's eye. The blond looked . . . well, like the information had clicked.

"Yeah." Babs sighed. "Then again, that might be a blessing considering he's a constant reminder of Dick. The man isolated him here. I can't believe I fell for it, too!" She shook her head. She hadn't meant to share that, but she just decided to let it out. After all, Artemis would need to know eventually if Babs let her in. "You know, he talked about Dick's circus days right in front of the whole class? It was horrible! And as well as that, he kept him after school practicing on a trapeze like-like the one his family died on for hours upon hours! One of his texts to me when he'd just finished was nearly four hours after school ended!"

Babs sighed, looking back at Artemis, who's eyes seemed set afire. "That's horrible." Though her tone was soft, Barbara could hear something in her voice that made her stiffen. It wasn't something she had expected, yet. It was-It was very protective.

Barbara looked at her again, a solemn look on her face. "I-I'm sorry I unloaded that on you. I should-I-I should go." Before Artemis could protest, Babs slid through the door as silently as possible, rushing toward the hallway. She quickly found one of the display cases for school trophies and used it to her advantage, using it to hide in plain sight.

She watched as Artemis came running out of the gym, looking around. "Barbara!" She called, sounding sad. It made Babs feel a bit guilty for hiding and watching her, but she kept Dick's smile in her mind's eye. She had a goal she needed to reach.

Barbara watched as a look crossed Artemis's face as she saw Mr. Wilson's office as well as the guilty look as she stared down the hallway, probably thinking about her. Babs felt her heart sink for a moment before Artemis strode toward Mr. Wilson's office, entered, turned on a light, and slid the door shut.

Barbara couldn't help it as a light feeling filled her chest. She supposed that she had just found a partner in crime to help her save her best friend.

. . .

"Good job on collecting the stone, Dick. It will be good payment." Slade informed the boy kneeling before him. In his hands was a large jewel about the size of a soccer ball. It was a beautiful greenish blue that made Dick's heart ache. It reminded him of Barbara's eyes. "However, before we hand it over, we must be sure that Psimon came through with his part of the bargain."

"Yes, Master." Agreed Robin, eyes firmly trained on the ground. "How will we find out, Master?"

Slade smiled. "Why, my young apprentice, isn't it obvious?" The cunning man walked over to look at the screen displaying the footage from the camera he had placed in the Gordon household. With a click of a button, it changed over to the Mountain.

Dick's breath caught. He didn't want to-

"I think it's time you and your little friends had a reunion."

. . .

FudoTwin17: Yus! I am done!

Cat: Well that took a while.

FudoTwin17: Yup. I hope that it fits your likes, guys! Bye!

Goldfish # 7: Don't forget to review and request!


	14. Chapter 12: I'm Sorry

FudoTwin17: So . . . hi?

Cat: She's extremely sorry.

FudoTwin17: Yeah. ***sigh* **Really, really sorry. I do have legit excuses this time, though. We're putting on _White Christmas _as the musical at my school right now, and we've been practicing nonstop until about ten to ten-thirty at night. Not only is that true, but since I figured out that everything I wrote and drew for Bloody Angels I forgot in Arizona, I've been rewriting/drawing everything for that story. Good new for you guys that like that story? I'll be updating. Bad news? It'll take a while for me to rewrite it and get my mojo back. Goodness, I'm never writing a story out before I post it again.

Cat: Anyways, she is definitely back and writing.

FudoTwin17: Yeah. And please tell me if I make any mistakes. I'm pretty tired right now.

Dog # 1: But be careful. She hates being told she's wrong.

FudoTwin17: I do not-

Cat: Yes, you do.

FudoTwin17: I-

Dog # 1: You're wrong.

FudoTwin17: Hey-

Cat: Our point has been proven.

FudoTwin17: That's not fair! ***grumbles***

Cat: Anyways, on with the show! She doesn't own Young Justice.

Chapter 12

As Dick roared down the highway, only his headlights illuminating the darkness, he couldn't the sweat that slowly built itself up on his palms. Of all things to throw his team (just his team-he couldn't bear to think about how much he really lost by saving them) off the trail, couldn't Slade have forced them to do something . . . easier? Better? Less painful?

_Now I have a task for you. _Dick could hear Slade's dark tone rumbling in his head. After all, w_e have to see if Psimon did his job, don't we? I suppose it's time to test your acting skills, Renegade. _

Acting skills . . . . Dick didn't want to put the show on. He couldn't stand the idea of lying to his fami-team like that. How would they react? Would they yell and scream or try to get him back? Would they stay firm to the belief that Dick couldn't be acting of his free will?

Or . . . or would they lose faith in him? Would they turn their backs on him? Would they call him a traitor? Dick couldn't bear the thought, but he desperately tried to shoulder it.

If they didn't believe his charade, then Psimon might not have done his job, and they would come for him. They would try to save him the way that heroes do. If they tried to save him, Slade would kill them, and Dick would be in the same position with thousands of civilian lives resting on his shoulders.

Shakily, the boy turned his attention back to the mission. It was fairly simple, just difficult to force himself to go through with. He'd break into the mountain, steal the Helmet of Fate, purposefully trip the security system, talk with his old team for a bit, and successfully make it to the extraction point. Simple. Just difficult to go through with.

Dick sighed as he flipped his bike onto automatic drive and launched himself off, rolling once he reached the pavement. As he reached his feet, listening to his bike as it rode away, he made sure he hadn't aggravated his still painful injuries. Most of them already faded into dull aches, but there were some (like his hand) that still sent pulses of fiery pain through him at the slightest touch. However, he schooled his face into an emotionless mask to hide any pain or regret and simply ran.

It wasn't long before he reached the hangar of his old base. He was slow to unhook the security pad and hack in. He needed just a little bit of time to prepare himself. After all, it _was_ time to test his acting skills.

. . .

Wally couldn't help it as he sat completely still. His gaze laid sightlessly on the static on the television. He was still in his Kid Flash costume from training. He didn't appear to care, too deep in thought to waste time or brainpower on something so trivial. Finally, he let out a silent sigh and slumped in his seat, a sad, hopeless expression on his face.

Artemis didn't have to ask what was wrong as she fell into the seat next to him. She didn't speak, just waited.

"You know," Wally began after a moment of dead silence, "I woke up this morning thinking that Robin was still Robin, he would be waiting here for us, and all would be right with the world again. Then I remembered; he's gone."

Artemis winced, but she managed to keep from replying. She didn't have anything to say yet.

"I wish we at least knew where Deathstroke took him-who that guy is! Maybe we'd be able to figure out why Robin's still under his thumb. Maybe we'd be able to get him back." Wally's voice dropped, and for the first time, Artemis really noticed how old and _worn _he looked for a fifteen year old. Sometimes it was easy to forget that they all had been through things-things that normal teenagers would never have to go through. "He's my best friend." He whispered, voice hoarse. "We have to get him back."

"Wally," Artemis started, throat tight. Her hands gripped one of his, "I don't-"

"Wally," Megan's voice startled the two as she came out of the kitchen, a solemn look on her face. In her hands was a plate of cookies. Wally jumped to his feet when she entered before he sighed, "Wally, you have to eat."

"I'm not hungry, Megs. Thanks." He murmured halfheartedly, turning on his heel and walking away like a normal human. The two girls watched as he trudged away with solemn looks on their faces.

A worried look crossed Megan's face as she turned to Artemis, her grip on the plate of sweets tightening almost painfully. "He-He hasn't eaten anything since last night." Whispered Megan shakily. "He needs to eat or he's going to drop soon, but I can't get him to eat. Please, can-can you-"

"Yeah." Artemis replied, only slightly surprised. She took the plate, letting it warm up her fingertips and glanced up at the Martian girl. "Yes, I-I can."

A look of relief crossed her face before she smiled. "Thank you, Artemis."

The girl nodded before both girls went their separate ways. Artemis couldn't help the pounding of her heart in her ears as she walked down the hall and stopped in front of Wally's room. She knocked, but there was no answer. After a moment of indecision, the archer pushed the door open.

Artemis had never been inside Wally's room before, but she always imagined that it would be messy and disorganized. However, the room that she saw was perfectly orderly. All books were on shelves in alphabetical order, the floor was swept, all his clothes were hung up, the desk and chair were clean, and the made bed held a speedster who hadn't even gone through the trouble of lifting the sheet to get under the covers.

"Wally." She sighed, closing the door and walking forward. Slowly, she climbed on the bed, noting how his shoulders tensed. She took a deep breath. "Wally, you have to eat." She stated in her best commanding voice.

Wally stirred, sitting up to look at her. She couldn't help but see how tired-how drained he looked. Was that from lack of food or friendship? "I'm not hungry." At that moment, his stomach growled. She couldn't help the smile that slid to her lips for just a moment before it fell away. "I'm really not."

"I don't care, Wally. You have to eat." Artemis stated, but she couldn't help but feel like she was getting nowhere fast, and she could feel her anger mounting.

Didn't he realize that the whole team had to be as up to strength as possible? They all had to be as powerful and able as possible! Otherwise they may never be able to save her little brother. Robin-Dick-They had to be at their best to save him-to bring him back. And her patience? It was just about gone.

"I can't-" She didn't hear what he was about to say. At that moment, she tackled him the best she could from her seated position on the bed and managed to knock him flat on his back. She was almost glad he was deprived of food. If he were at full health, she would never have been able to pin him like that. He blinked, seeming to realize that he had been knocked on the bed and she was seated on his stomach, the plate of cookies in her hand.

"You. Will. Eat." She stated very simply.

A spike of anger went through the redhead at that moment. Who did she think she was? Just because he couldn't bring himself to eat didn't mean she could force him to. After all, she wasn't the one who could only see bruises and taste blood and smell an odd stench (one he wasn't sure what was from) of meat burning whenever she tried to eat. "Are you going to make me?" His voice was spiteful and deadly, even if his position was not.

"Yes." She stated simply. Before Artemis could even consider the consequences of her actions, she grabbed a sugar cookie and bit into it.

Wally felt confusion rip through him until suddenly she pulled him up by the shirt and pressed her lips to his. For a moment, his brain shorted out. She bit his lip roughly, plunging inside, and it took a moment for Wally to realize that she'd forced the cookie into his mouth. For the first time since the incident, he wasn't thinking about his best friend's disappearance. All he could see was the harsh lines of her face, taste was an odd mix of sugar cookie and chocolate, and smell was a sweet kind of vanilla sent that seemed to define Artemis. Then she pulled back and glared at him.

Wally couldn't help but stare at her moist, slightly puffy lips as they pressed themselves into a thin line. "Are you going to eat now?"

Wally blinked for a moment, his heart pounding. "Er, yes, ma'am." He murmured.

Her lips turned slightly up. "Good." She purred before picking her sugar cookie up again.

. . .

Megan bustled around the kitchen, once again baking another batch. Her mind couldn't help but go to the food deprived speedster. He'd skipped school and hadn't eaten a thing that day, and she couldn't help but worry over whether or not Artemis would be able to get him to eat at all. She paused beside Conner.

"Do you think she got him to eat? I mean, it's been a while since Artemis went to bring him something. I wonder if I should check-" She started to murmur, waiting for the timer to ring for her cookies.

"Artemis handled it." Conner stated simply from his spot at the stool in the kitchen. "I wouldn't suggest interrupting them right now."

"Oh. Okay." Megan replied, wishing that she understood what he meant. However, she busied her mind with cleaning up the kitchen and staring longingly toward Wally's room. After a while, she found there was little else to do. She sighed, taking a seat next to Conner and leaned against his muscular arm.

With the time to rest, Megan couldn't help it as her mind went back to the mission to Jump where they found Robin with blue eyes and Slade's insignia burned into his hand. She'd been working to distract herself from the warning in the back of her mind that hissed that something was _wrong_. She just couldn't figure out what could possibly be wrong. She sighed, eyes closing slowly.

"I've got a bad feeling." Conner stated. Megan reopened her eyes.

"About what?" She questioned, feeling her heart beat faster.

"I don't know. I-" He cut himself off as the alarms began to blare. Their eyes met and suddenly they were rushing toward the mission room to figure out the situation.

Something really was wrong.

. . .

Dick hissed as his back-handspring landed just wrong on his ankle. It wasn't really bad. It just hurt a lot and slowed him down. He pushed himself forward. He was behind schedule. He figured that Batman must have upped the security system while he'd been away (away, not kidnapped, away). Dick never had the time to spare to add in any offensive equipment in Young Justice's base. It appeared that Batman must have, or maybe he felt it necessary in case Slade or another villain attacked them again. He bit his lip, pushing forward.

If he could just get a little further he'd be just on schedule-

Dick skidded to a stop as a red and yellow blur raced in front of him. He cursed in his head, spinning around and clenching the bag containing the helmet as the team surrounded him. If only he could've gotten a little bit further!

"Robin-Dick," Kaldur called, a pained look on his face.

Knowing that this meant that they had finished placing their circle, Robin was careful to put his back to Kaldur and Megan, facing Kid Flash. While Wally unconsciously backed up a bit, avoiding his eyes, Kaldur and Megan both craved physical contact and face to face talk. It made it easier as they both automatically began to move just slightly, making the hole between them wider.

"Dick," Kaldur called more firmly. "why are you working for Deathstroke? How is he forcing you into it?"

_Acting skills. _Dick took a shallow breath, letting a cruel smirk slide onto his face. "He's not forcing me to do anything." _I'm lying. I would never do that to you! _His mind screamed, but he held it in, keeping up a false front that was cruel to not only his team but also to himself.

He watched as Wally's eyes snapped up, wide and emerald. They glittered with nothing but the denial that Dick knew his best friend always used to protect himself-to pretend he was okay.

"That cannot be true." Kaldur stated, voice hard. Though no one else could, Dick could detect a slight bit of fear-panic. Of all people, Kaldur mostly hung out with him and Conner, and it had slowly gotten easier deciphering what it was Kaldur was hiding behind a strong tone. "He kidnapped you."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Of course he did. He just has a flare for the dramatic."

"He beat you!" Interrupted Wally, his face contorted into a nasty snarl. Dick had to hold himself back from shuddering. He didn't like it when Wally looked so angry, broken. He liked it even less knowing that he was the cause. _I'm doing this to protect them. _He whispered in his mind. "You would never willingly allow this to happen to yourself! The Robin I know would never-"

"Well, how well do you know me?" Snapped Dick, sorry before the words were even gone from his lips. "You didn't know about how I watched my family die, how I've been beaten to an inch of my life, how I nearly killed the murderer of my family, how I've been treated at my school, how I've been tortured, how I haven't had a hug or heard the words 'I love you' in years-You don't know! You don't know me or what I've been through. You don't know what I would do." His snarl was enough to cause Wally to stumble back, a look of absolute pain and horror marring his face.

"Your wounds?" Questioned Kaldur from behind him, sounding just to his right. He imagined that Megan must've been moving as well.

"What makes you think Slade did this?" He asked nonchalantly. He almost let his mind wander to why no one was ever chalant. However, he didn't allow his mind to go there. The time for jokes and wordplay were over.

"The insignia on your hand." Megan whispered, voice hoarse. Immediately, guilt ripped through him. However, Dick swallowed it down, walking slightly to his left. No one seemed to take notice. _I'm so sorry. _He cried in his mind. _So, so sorry._

"Oh, this?" He held it up to the moonlight, allowing the shinny, scabby part of his hand to shine in the dark night. He noticed as every member within his sight went a shade paler. At least he was finally getting the information he came for. "This is nothing. Just proof that I'm loyal to Slade."

He watched in pained silence with a mocking smirk as Conner went a few shades redder as he attempted to contain his anger. _I don't want to do this! _His mind screamed, but he held himself back. He didn't have the liberty of free speech anymore. "It's burned into your skin! There-There's no way you'd let him do that to you!" Conner exclaimed.

An elegant eyebrow arched as fury began to mount. "How would you know? You didn't see it happen." His statement was simple, but it was brilliant in its simplicity. Depending on their reply, he would know whether or not that telepathic psycho had gotten into their heads. A chill descended on him as he waited for their response.

"But-But surely he-you wouldn't . . . ." Wally trailed off, his clenched fists shaking at his sides. "I don't care whether or not I saw it! You wouldn't-You couldn't-"

"I did." Robin (not Dick, Dick was too soft to be able to force himself to state something like this so cruelly) replied, moving just a bit more to the left. He'd gotten his answer, and while a part of him was relieved, another part of him slowly sunk into a miserable part of himself he hadn't visited in a long time. _I will never forgive myself for this._ "And you'll have to excuse me." He added. "My ride is here."

At that moment, his motorcycle roared between Artemis and Megan and slowed for just a moment. He took the opportunity to jump on, the bag with the Helmet of Fate clutched at his side. With that he rode away desperately, swerving and turning until there was no way to follow him and found the extraction point.

Slade was waiting.

. . .

Not one member of the team tried to follow the little bird. Most of them were stunned into oblivion-all but two. Kaldur looked at Megan, watching as her eyes faded from their bright green coloring. "What did you get?"

Her eyes, lacking their usual joy, turned back to him. There was a silent horror-pain in her face that almost made Kaldur flinch away, but he held strong. He needed to. "He was lying. He was forced into it."

"Using what?" Kaldur asked, watching as the rest of the team seemed to snap back to attention at the Martian's words.

"I don't know." She murmured, arms folding around herself. In the back of his mind, he realized that it must have taken all of her willpower to force herself to violate Dick's mind like that. His eyes softened as she continued. "He kept repeating that-that he was sorry, though. He didn't want to lie to us, and he thought once that he had to-to protect us."

"From what?" Snarled Wally, his gloved hands clenched. "What kind of control could Deathstroke possibly have over us?"

"I don't know." Megan whispered. "I just don't know."

. . .

Psimon felt a chilling smile fill his face as he removed his hood, approaching the lone figure. The other man did not smile back, but that did not put him off. After all, he was wearing a mask. "You did your job well, Psimon." Deathstroke smiled.

"Of course." Psimon replied, his deadly smile not moving an inch.

"As payment, I attained the stone the Light asked for." Deathstroke stated, removing it from his bag. Psimon's smile only grew.

"The Light thanks you." The pale man hissed, taking the stone. He watched in silent approval as it turned a disgusting shade of brown at his touch. After all, this was the stone they needed to further their plans.

Deathstroke disappeared into the darkness, leaving the bloody stone and the hooded man alone in the dark cave. After all, he had more important things to do.

. . .

FudoTwin17: Well, I hope that was satisfactory. I was going to give you more, but I'm a bit out of time. So, I hope you review!

Cat: Enjoy!

FudoTwin17: Bye!


	15. Chapter 13: Closed Conference

FudoTwin17: Ugh.

Cat: What she means is hello.

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. I'm so tired I can't even tell you. But you guys deserve an update, and it just so happens that my mother's computer has been fixed. Mine has not. So sorry about slow updates or shorter chappies. I just don't have the time or equipment. Hopefully, this will be apology enough.

Goldfish # 4: Hurry up. They just want to read the chapter, not your crap.

FudoTwin17: Yeah, yeah. Well, enjoy everything, guys. After this, I may be off for a while again due to my extreme high school summer homework and my place on the Drama Club Board. ***cries*** I'm so tired.

Cat: She doesn't own a thing.

Chapter 13

After the team (minus one member-one too important little brother) returned boneless and numb to the Mountain, Artemis felt wrong. She couldn't look at anyone, especially not Wally. She felt as though she could barely breathe. It was like she was back in that little vent again, back against the wall and five teammates counting on her (only this time she knew she was going to fail, fail, _fail_-).

A gloved hand gripped her bare shoulder, and she jerked back, gray eyes wide and slightly watery. Wally's pitiful green eyes were locked on her through the holes in his mask. "Are you alright?"

It was only then that Artemis realized how erratic her breathing was, how hard her hands were shaking, how much her vision was swimming-

Wally had just the smallest bit of blue and pink frosting on the side of his mouth that still looked just a bit swollen. She felt everything stop. Her breathing, heartbeat, shaking, tearing up-It just stopped. She took a slow, silent breath, dropping her eyes.

She couldn't look at him.

"Artemis?" He prompted quietly.

_Right. _The blond thought, detached. _He asked me a question._

Before Artemis could lie about her well-being, _I'll Make a Man Out of You _quietly rang through the cave's main room. She couldn't help but think that if it had happened a month earlier, she would be completely mortified. However, at that moment, she only had the energy to slowly drag herself to the couch and pull her phone out from the couch cushions. "Hello?"

Everyone stared at her, but she suddenly grew oblivious to them, the cave, and the world around her. All she could hear was the person on the phone.

_"Can you help me? I need help." _Barbara-it was definitely her-whispered over the cell. _"I think I've got something."_

_ Something on Dick. _The world stopped._ Something on Robin._

"I'm on my way." Artemis stated, rushing through dropping her quiver and bow on the closest counter. She rushed to her room for her civies.

_"Are you okay? You sound weird." _Barbara said, a tapping sound coming through the cell as she spoke.

Artemis opened the door and pulled a pair of sweats on over her uniform pants one-handed and let out a loud breath. "I'm better than I have been in weeks."

. . .

"Barbara." Commissioner Gordon let out a long sigh, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I know you want to help, but I can't legally inform you about an ongoing investigation."

Barbara crossed her arms, glaring at her father. "That's never stopped you before."

The graying man gave a long-suffering sigh, scowling at the water-damaged ceiling. He rubbed the glass of his glasses just a bit too hard before putting them back where they belonged and gave his daughter-only daughter-a look that only fathers could give. "I'm sorry." He stated.

Barbara knew what that meant. _There had never been a case involving Dick Grayson that looked so hopeless before. There had always been some kind of information he could give Barbara to lift her spirits. There had always been a ransom demand._

Barbara ignored all that the look said. "He's not dead."

Then, he gave her a sad, old look. It was one of a man who had seen too much in too short of a time. He picked up his steaming mug and just held it wearily. "Just . . . . I have a few more things to do. Just stay here, okay? I'll try to be quick." His shoulders sagged for a moment as he moved to his office doorway. For a moment, he stood in the doorway, looking at his daughter's heartbreaking, angry expression. "It'll be okay, Barb. Just keep going. It gets tough, but you can't stop and lay down. Just keep going."

Barbara looked away. The older man sighed and closed the door, leaving his daughter inside his office for what would most likely be another two or three hours.

Barbara felt her mask of anger break into an empty expression. She knew it was unfair to throw that at him, but . . . she just felt so angry, and hurting someone just felt so . . . liberating-but only in the moment. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt empty and even heavier. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to call back the hurtful words.

She rubbed her face, mirroring her aging father when in distress. Slowly, she crossed to the door and unzipped her backpack. Steadily, she pulled out the strange, metal S. She weighed it in her hand with a frustrated expression. She knew she'd seen the S somewhere before, but . . . it was nowhere. Nowhere online, nowhere in police files, not even in local graffiti. She had looked everywhere for it and found absolutely nothing.

It was a ghost of a memory.

Suddenly, she felt . . . so _angry _she didn't know what to do. With a paralyzing shout, she threw it as hard as she could at the wall and watched as it split in half. She paled. Metal wasn't supposed to do that.

Before she could investigate, there was a knock at the door. Barbara schooled her expression swiftly before opening the door. Standing before her stood none other than Detective Bullock. Her eyes scanned him quickly, noting the dark circles under his eyes, the stubble signaling how long it was since he'd had time to shave, and the slight bagginess of his suit. He looked horrible.

Then again, Barbara probably didn't look much better.

For a moment, he didn't say anything.

When he did speak, though, Barbara felt a bit better for the moment of silence. "I heard a shout."

Barbara blinked before she felt sheepishness take hold. She gave him a light smile that convinced neither of them. "Err, I stubbed my toe."

He gave her an unconvinced look before nodding. "Take care, kid." He stated simply. Then, he turned and walked toward the conference room. She watched him go, oddly sad. He didn't look back.

Then she shook herself because she had something that might help her save her best friend.

She closed and locked the door, nervousness making her throat constrict. Then, she crept forward, looking at the S disk. Surprise nearly stopped her short when she realized what it was. The S had split so that there were two circle S disks connected by wires and computer chips. She took it in her hands, twisting it this way and that. She couldn't help but notice an odd looking peephole like ring on the inside of one of the disks, though she didn't see it on the outside of the disk. She frowned in confusion before it hit her.

None of the wires nor the computer chips looked damaged. In fact, they were still (miraculously) in perfect condition. And there was a spot for her USB cord.

She could hack it.

As she rushed for her backpack, a thought struck her: Artemis. She needed someone to keep her rational and to help her. Artemis . . . Dick liked her. Barbara liked her. She took a deep breath and hoped that Dick's instincts were right.

Cell phone ringing, Barbara pulled out her laptop and booted it up, waiting for Artemis to pick up with bated breath.

Then she spoke, and it was like music from the heavens. _"Hello?"_

"Can you help me? I need help." Stupid. That sounded stupid. "I think I've got something."

Her voice sounded breathy, pained even, as she answered. _"I'm on my way."_

Barbara frowned as she typed in her password. She swiftly moved the phone between her cheek and shoulder, pulling a USB cord from her backpack and connecting it. "Are you okay? You sound weird."

A loud breath and shuffling noises came through the cell. _"I'm better than I have been in weeks." _Barbara felt her eyebrows furrow in confusion, but before she could even consider what it was that was bothering her, Artemis spoke again. _"Where do you want to meet?"_

"My place." Barbara blinked before realization set in. Artemis didn't know where she lived. After rattling off the address and hanging up, she realized that Artemis didn't even know her number. Barbara had (slightly illegally) gotten them from her school records. To be honest, she hardly knew Artemis at all. Asking the girl to help her find and save her best friend was completely and totally illogical. It made absolutely no sense.

But Barbara was desperate. And desperate people do desperate things. Like asking near strangers to help save their loved ones.

Quickly packing everything in her backpack, Barbara pulled a sticky-note from her fathers desk and scribbled a short note to inform him that her friend Artemis picked her up, and they would be working on a project in her room tonight and tomorrow (good thing it was Friday night!). That way he wouldn't be prone to panic, and he'd expect her friend over. As well as that, he wouldn't freak out over her walking home.

He didn't like her walking home in Gotham, especially not at night.

After sneaking out of the precinct, Barbara found herself lost in thought again about Artemis. Her panic and protectiveness over Dick bothered Barbara. It, once again, made no sense. Artemis barely knew Dick. Why would she be so attached and protective?

Barbara bit her lip, scanning the street around her in case of ambush. Artemis shouldn't have been so devastated by Dick's disappearance. After all, people disappeared and died all the time in Gotham. What would one more be to her?

No, the only explanation was that she had a relationship with Dick beyond Barbara's knowledge. That, of course, made no sense, though. Barbara and Dick were best friends (more, even). Barbara was sure she would have noticed.

_Except you aren't. _A little voice whispered in her head. _Or at least, you weren't when it counted._

"Shut up." She said before realizing she spoke aloud. The redhead glanced around just to be sure no one saw or heard her before rushing on.

Could Dick and Artemis have been friends during the time Barbara was too angry to speak to Dick? No, Artemis's reaction (red-rimmed eyes, depressed look, anger, protectiveness) to Dick's disappearance was too extreme. Dating? Could they have been boyfriend and-

"Hey." Barbara jumped, eyes darting up. She realized faintly that she'd reached the door of the apartment building, and none other than Artemis was standing before her.

"Hey." Barbara responded, not sure if she was ready to attempt conversation quite yet. She let the other girl into the building and led her to hers, quickly unlocking the door and taking her to her room as efficiently as possible.

"What did you find?" Artemis asked, cutting to the chase.

"This." Barbara replied, pulling the laptop and connected machinery out. She watched Artemis with a spark in her eye as the girl cautiously knelt next to the bed, fingers ghosting over the curious S disks.

"What is it?" The blond questioned, gray eyes meeting Barbara's teal.

"I'm not sure yet. I have my laptop running a scanning program, though. I should know some of the coding at least by tomorrow. I can also check out what kind of computer chips these are. They look custom made, so I think I can figure out the company and maybe buyer if lucky." Barbara replied, all business. "But to be honest, that's not the only reason I called you."

"What is?" Artemis immediately responded, standing. Barbara almost reeled back in surprise.

Artemis, being in the light and facing Barbara for the first time in the evening, looked horrible, completely and utterly ruined. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her lips were puffy and dry (cracked), her face was abnormally pale, and there was a tiredness, a bone deep weariness, that seemed to have settled over her. Even her sweatpants and sweatshirt looked as though they'd seen better days.

Barbara cleared her throat, composing herself. She turned the machinery on her bed so that Barbara could see the S insignia. "Do you know what this means?"

Artemis's eyes flashed, and she bit her lower lip, obviously deliberating. All the hairs rose on Barbara's nape. If the blond was even considering withholding knowledge that could lead to Dick's return, girlfriend or not, Barbara was going to-

Artemis squared her shoulders, determined. "It belongs to a guy called Deathstroke the Terminator." Barbara blinked at the bite in the words. This was personal to Artemis. "He's an assassin, a mercenary. He's known as the greatest tactician in the world. His real name is Slade Wilson." Barbara's breath caught as the blond's eyes focused in on her with an intensity that Barbara had never known before. "And right now, the big news in the underworld is that he's looking for an apprentice."

Suddenly, everything made sense. The bug and that thing in his office, the way he seemed to separate Dick from everyone, the way he made him train, the way he _pushed_ him-It all fit.

Barbara found herself seated, staring in silence at the floor. It was no wonder that the mercenary found and chose Dick. He was brilliant-smart and oddly good at things that he shouldn't be good at. He was street-smart, book-smart, multilingual, sneaky, technological, and he was an acrobat-one of the last ones in the world able to do a quadruple somersault. Dick was perfect.

Barbara was suddenly laughing, hands shaking as she twisted the ring on her finger over and over. Of course, _of course_, this would happen to Dick! If anything could happen to Dick, it would.

A hand, pale and slightly shaking, stilled her trembling as it gripped her left hand-the one with the ring. Barbara looked up, her laughing ceasing as she saw Artemis's worried, pale face. Right. Artemis was here to keep Barbara sane and stop her from getting distracted. She took a deep breath.

"Okay." Barbara stated. "Okay. I'm okay."

"Okay." Artemis agreed softly.

Barbara frowned, realizing that Artemis didn't just come to that realization. She'd figured it out. How, though? How did she even know what that insignia meant? Or that the underworld was alight with gossip about Deathstroke needing an apprentice?

She took a deep breath.

Okay. Artemis obviously had secrets.

But so did she.

"Artemis." Barbara spoke quietly, realizing that this would either go extremely well or extremely wrong. "I know we don't know each other well. No, screw it, we don't know each other at all." Artemis bit her lip, seemingly trying to ground herself. "But we can both agree on the fact that we want to save Dick, right?"

"Yes." Breathed the blond.

"And that we're willing to do anything to do so." Barbara continued.

Determination showed in the girl's eyes. "Yes."

"Then let's both use this time to stop beating around the bush and share everything, okay? Nothing withheld." Artemis's eyes widened as Barbara took a deep breath. "I won't judge if you won't."

Artemis seemed too dumbfounded to speak, so Barbara just held out her hand and waited. It was the moment of truth.

. . .

Artemis didn't know what to do. Her entire life, it seemed, was built on secrets. _Don't tell anyone what Dad does to us, don't tell your team who your family is, don't tell anyone that you're a superhero, don't speak, don't talk, don't be _you!

Suddenly, she had the chance to be completely open to this girl who knew nothing but was ready to work with her only to save her best friend. A girl who was willing not to judge her for any of it.

_Just wait until she knows the real you. _Something spoke deep in the back of her mind. _Then she'll want nothing to do with you. _

_I don't care. _She whispered back as the truth hit her. Desperation made her close her eyes. _If it saves Dick, I'm willing to do anything. _

Artemis opened her eyes and swallowed, meeting the other girl's gaze with a determination born entirely of desperation. Her mouth was too dry for sound, so she did the only thing she could.

She shook her hand.

. . .

FudoTwin17: This wasn't much of a chapter, but I do want to say that I'm back with computer in tow. I now have a computer, but I really do have to finish up my summer homework. So sorry if you wanted more, but I need some time. Thank you all for putting up with my crappy updating. As well as that, I want to let you know that some of my other stories are being rewritten again. I lost all the documents on my other computer. However, I do have a flash-drive now! Yay!

Cat: On another note, she does request that she is not cussed out in her reviews.

FudoTwin17: Yes. I respond better to encouragement or thoughts. I don't mind if they're constructive at all. Flames and curse words just kinda make me back off a bit. Though I do thank everyone for sticking with the story and reviewing at all.

Cat: Yes. Now she must leave to do mentioned homework.

FudoTwin17: Right. Thanks, and enjoy.


	16. Chapter 14: Time for the Big Guns

FudoTwin17: Oh. My. Gosh. What is time? I'm sorry, guys. I have so much to do. I feel like all of my stories are making people wait. I feel bad. I'm sorry I can't get this done quickly enough. I know a lot of you want me to update more consistently, and I'm sorry that I can't right now. School is extreme, and we've just started the next show. Good news? We're doing Shrek the Musical this year! Bad news? I have no time! ***Curls up in corner*** Which brings me to an important message. Whoever it is that keeps hacking my account and my email: **STOP IT. **I get it, okay? I know I need to update, but changing my password and screwing with my school work isn't going to make me update any faster. ***Sigh* **I'm having a terrible week. Okay, please enjoy this. Sorry if it's short or doesn't make sense or something. Also, sorry that this is less to do with the plot. I really wanted to post my plot chapter, but I was worried about it, so I took it out. You'll get it next time, though, don't worry. Anyways, I don't own anything of importance.

Chapter 14

Artemis swallowed. Her lips parted to speak, but what was there to say? She'd been keeping secrets so long that she didn't know how to tell the truth anymore. Luckily for her, Barbara provided an example.

"My dad is the Commissioner, maybe one of the only straight cops in Gotham. When I was about four, he and my mother got divorced." Barbara dropped her eyes, swimming gray in the light. "I live with my dad, and my brother's with my mom. We usually see each other around Christmas, Easter, around there."

Barbara swallowed, seemingly having trouble getting past opening up to a complete stranger. Artemis didn't blame her.

"I met Dick when I was ten, and he's been my best friend ever since." There was a shine in Barbara's eyes that made Artemis's heart break. It was a look Artemis herself had seen too many times herself. It spoke volumes of a complex relationship that was more than friends but couldn't be accurately detailed. Artemis made a light sound in her throat to show she understood. "I always take care of him when he's around. He doesn't need it, but he deserves it."

And goodness knew that was true.

"In return, he does the same. He's been teaching me things like how to hack, sneaking around, how to lie, how to read a situation-It's strange. Being a native of Gotham, I should be the one teaching him, but he knows it better than I ever could." Barbara whispered.

Barbara swallowed heavily, voice catching before it could become words. Artemis could tell she was desperately struggling to get something out, but she didn't want to say it.

Then she spoke, and Artemis understood.

"He gave this to me."

Barbara held out her left hand.

Artemis's breath left her. _Mercy._

. . .

M'gann rubbed her forehead, her forehead creasing in severe discomfort. Her hand went to her temple as she closed her eyes, thinking over the nightmarish encounter what felt like moments ago. The moment she entered Robin's mind, she knew that something was wrong other than the painful violation she was committing for her friend.

There was something wrong, and she just couldn't grasp it.

"What's wrong?"

Megan looked up, eyes wide and surprised. The team, downtrodden and brokenhearted, was just as it was when Artemis left; costumed and seated on the couches together. No one would admit it, but no one had to.

None of them wanted to be away from the others just in case they disappeared.

Conner was looking at her with a grim set to his lips. It was obvious he was worried, and at his question, Megan noticed Kaldur and Wally's heads come up, eyes resting on her. She swallowed nervously.

"I . . . ." She trailed off, suddenly certain that she didn't even completely understand what it was that was bothering her. It was just something in the back of her mind that kept _screaming_. Some thing was wrong. Something _had _to be wrong.

"M'Gann?" Prompted Kaldur, eyebrows furrowing. Megan could almost read guilt, and she wondered if he was worried because of what he'd asked her to do to their friend. She wanted desperately to reassure him that it wasn't his fault, that he'd done what he thought was best, but she was sure that it was breaking down Robin's outer shields that caused the feeling of wrongness to appear.

Then again, though, she'd been feeling like something was at the edge of her mind ever since that first time they saw what had happened to their youngest.

"Miss M?" Questioned Wally, emerald eyes bright and worried. The Martian blinked. She'd waited too long to speak.

"I . . . . Sorry. This might sound weird, but I don't know." Miss M replied, massaging her temple. "I mean, it's been on the edge of my consciousness for so long, but something Robin thought made me think . . . ."

"What did he think?" Asked Wally, attention trained on her with an intense stare. She tried to avoid his gaze, but her eyes kept coming back to him, and it broke her heart that she couldn't give him the answers he needed or fix everything with a cookie or a smile. It hurt so much.

Megan went still, her eyes glazing over as she spoke just loud enough to be heard by her friends. "It wasn't necessarily a thought but a hazy feeling. When we spoke of the-the . . ." Her sentence hung in the air, but everyone felt the harsh word go through their thoughts despite the desperation that it didn't. _Brand._ ". . . He didn't feel right."

"What does that mean?" Conner asked bluntly. M'gann might have been hurt if it was anyone else, but Conner put a gentle hand on hers, and she knew that he didn't mean to be harsh-He was just as worried as anyone else.

"When he found out we didn't see it happen, he felt both relieved and . . . sad, I think. I don't know if there's actually a word for how he felt in the human language." The alien managed to whisper, shaken. "But he only felt that way after we confirmed that we didn't see it happen. And-and his mental walls. He'd good at shielding his mind, but his barriers were weak, as if just starting to repair themselves, and it-it felt like my handiwork."

There was a growing horror that seemed to grow in Kaldur's face as she spoke. "What are you saying, M'gann?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm saying I think we're missing something. Something important."

Wally's eyes were wide and horrified. "You think we had a memory stolen."

Megan swallowed, squeezing Conner's hand as she saw an emotion on his face that seemed to be deeper than the anger he was clearly displaying. "Yes."

. . .

Artemis's heart was beating so quickly in her throat that she didn't know what to say or do. In fact, her lips were trembling, and she could feel that her cheeks had drained of color. With a careful hand, she brushed fly-away hairs out of her face.

"I-I grew up in a bad home. My father and mother were criminals, and my father was training my older sister and I to be criminals, too." Artemis heard a sharp gasp from Barbara, but she didn't dare look up, too afraid of what she might see. "My mother got injured in a heist and was sent to jail. My dad got really bad with my sister and me. It was . . . awful. My sister left." She swallowed, closing her eyes. She could feel her breathing picking up.

"You don't have to . . . ." Barbara trailed off, and Artemis looked up sharply, seeing the other girl without anything blocking her view. She wasn't sympathetic, but there was a look of understanding and pain on her face that made Artemis's breath catch. Artemis swallowed.

No. She was going to do this for Dick, for the girl-the first ever person she told-that didn't lose sight of who she was when faced with her family, and she was going to do it for herself.

Artemis was tired of lies.

"I want to." She stated, and it was the truth. "When my mom came back, she was paralyzed and changed. She kicked out my dad, Sportsmaster, and restarted life as a law-abiding citizen. My sister became-became Cheshire. A few months ago, I got angry. I went out, and I was determined to do something-anything. I came across a bunch of teenage heroes, and I helped them defeat some strange robot thing."

Artemis glanced at Barbara's face, and she was surprised to see complete belief. She actually believed her story. It was . . . incredible. And a bit liberating.

Gray met gray-green with dark understanding and brokenness. "And I became Artemis."

. . .

"It begins in four hours." The unknown voice on coming from the screen stated apathetically. "The worlds should be separate in the early morning. Make any last minute preparations now."

"I will." Agreed the masked man, his one eye harsh in the dim lighting. His strong stance remained loose and limber in its compliant position. "Is that all?"

"Yes." The voice stated, and Slade nodded agreeably. "The Light thanks you for your help." As the screen went black, Slade turned away. He didn't watch the screens turn back to those he threatened, but he paid them no mind. He didn't even look up when one screen showed Barbara and a very familiar heroine seated in Barbara's room.

With less than rushed but still purposeful steps, Slade walked out of the room and down a long hallway in his haunt. His mind was busy thinking over the idiocy of the Light. With what idiots they were, it was a wonder the heroes hadn't figured them out already. However, so long as they hadn't, the group was useful.

It provided some very well-paid jobs that Slade was sure he could use for training purposes. As well as that, he found that their contacts were very useful, very useful indeed.

In fact, he'd already used some for-

_Bang!_

. . .

FudoTwin17: Okay, so that didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped. Please excuse my poor writing skill. Enjoy. I have to go. Homework and all that. ***sigh***


	17. Chapter 15: Let's Play

FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late!

Cat: Several eons late.

FudoTwin17: Right. Well, it's just a little-

Cat: A lot.

FudoTwin17: Hard to update right now. My goldfishes are all gone as is Dog # 2. Plus, I'm not having a wonderful school year. However, I'm doing my best to be positive right now, so I'm not going into any of my petty problems or anything. I also probably won't be updating Killing Sorrows in a while. I don't want to update that until I've updated all of my other ongoing stories. Anyway, thanks for sticking around if you have. I really appreciate it.

Cat: She doesn't own DC.

FudoTwin17: But don't worry! I'm working on it! Oh, and be warned. Suicidal topic and violence occurs in this chapter. I didn't want you guys going in without knowing. Please take care of yourselves.

Cat: Enjoy.

Chapter 15

Dick's hands were shaking as he finished disassembling another gun (but hardly the last he needed to do). Eyes glazed over and breathing shallow, anyone with a soul would look at him and think he was in shock. Maybe they would worry and surround him in soft blankets and rush him to a hospital or a bed. Or maybe they would hold him and keep his hands from the metal killers, desperate to keep his hands firmly locked in innocence over violence. Maybe they'd try to help him, save him.

Anyone with a soul would do something.

Slade was different. With one look, the man had dismissed him from his presence to clean the guns. Whether he wished to torture Dick or simply didn't care, Dick didn't know, but in the end, it didn't matter either way. He had his job.

Dick breathed out shallowly as he pushed in the cleaning rod and the cotton patch slowly. Though he didn't have a muzzle guard, he found himself forced to work from the front. Though he honestly tried not to tremble, his hands shook of their own accord, dangerously close to damaging the bore. He was swift to replace it with the brush, but he didn't let it remain long. It was only too soon that he was running another cotton patch through with the cleaning rod, this one soaked with solvent. When it came out grimy, he repeated it with a clean patch.

Faintly, Dick felt himself retreat. Gun in hand, eyes glazed over, and trembling hands running through all the right motions, he couldn't help but let his mind move a bit backwards to when he wasn't the traitor, just a bird with a bat.

Batman hated guns. He never said as much, but it was easy to tell. From the way he carelessly treated them to the way he would look at those that used them, Robin could see it in the man's face and the clench of his jaw. Considering the way that his parents died, Robin understood well, and Robin didn't dare touch a gun. Bruce was too important for him to even consider it.

But Renegade was cleaning one right there in the middle of the room.

Right there as he coated the inside of the barrel with gun oil, he could have just cried or bawled. It was disgusting how easily he could make himself pick it up, make himself clean it, maybe even make himself use it one day, and it made him sick to his stomach.

How would Batman look at him if it got to that point? Would Robin have to decide that? Between one person with a mark on their head and a third of Gotham's population? His heroes (his friends)? Robin didn't think he would be able to take it when he had to find out the answer. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he would be able to go to that point of absolute _wrongness_.

Except he would. Dick had no doubt that Slade would drag him there, kicking and screaming because he had the population of Gotham residing on his small shoulders with the lives of the heroes that had and would and needed to save the world. And for what? So Dick could play the role that Slade wanted him to play?

Faintly, Dick thought that the world would be much better off without him.

As his hands began to clean and lubricate the action with the solvent on the brush, he began to picture it in his head-a perfect world without him. He could see it. Batman would be perfect, the streets of Gotham probably cleaner without the bat having to take the time to train him. There might be fewer sidekicks, but they were better off out of action, safer. Maybe Young Justice would exist, but it would be different. Robin imagined that without a hacker, the team would be out in the public eye, getting the attention that it deserved, that Robin knew the others craved (because beneath what he let bubble to the surface, beneath the pride and the feeling of being good enough to go on those missions undercover, he _wished _that they were good enough that the League wouldn't mind parading them around, showing them off).

He imagined that Barbara would be happier. She wouldn't be trained at all in anything that Dick had been secretly working on her with, but what was the harm in that? Without Dick, she was in less danger. She'd probably have more female friends and be less eager to be in the police force. Maybe? He imagined so. She wouldn't be nearly as angry with her dad, either. Maybe they'd be happy. Daddy and daughter.

Not noticing when he'd moved on to the luster cloth, Dick found himself biting his lip to keep it from trembling like a little kid. He wondered if his family's fate would be any different if he'd never been born. No dead parents or aunt or cousin, and Uncle Rick wouldn't be in a coma. After all, if he wasn't there, who would have overheard the mob boss? Not a stupid kid who didn't understand until it was too late.

No, they'd be alive because one of them would have been smart enough to say something. If he wasn't born, everything would be better. Slade wouldn't have any reason to hold anyone's life above his head like an executioner's blade. No reason at all.

Dick blinked, looking dazed as he loaded the gun with expert hands that shook at their own ability.

If he wasn't born, then Slade had no reason to threaten any lives for his. Not Gotham, not Babs, not Young Justice, not the Justice League, not Bruce or Alfred-Not if he wasn't alive.

He was holding a loaded gun. It would be so easy to just squeeze the trigger. Maybe it wouldn't bring his family back or lower Gotham's crime rates to where they would be if he hadn't lived (or died with his family like maybe he should have), but it would get rid of one threat. He started to raise the gun-

_Bang!_

The recoil made Dick jerk back, wincing lightly at the angle. His hands had been shaking so badly that he'd pulled the trigger on accident, but it would be okay. He would do it on purpose this time. He wouldn't miss.

Dick didn't say goodbye in his head. He didn't pray. He didn't wonder what could have been or what would have been. Instead, he raised the gun to his temple, and-

_Bang!_

. . .

"Artemis?" Whispered Barbara, narrowing her eyes at the blond. There was no disbelief or spite in her eyes, but Artemis found herself struggling to breathe anyway underneath her soft gaze. Letting go of the secret, she knew, was more than just an impulsive decision.

It was an act of trust, a game-changer.

Artemis swallowed, straightening her back as much as possible. "The sidekick to Green Arrow."

Artemis could see the exact moment that it clicked. Barbara's dark eyes widened impossibly, lips parting in a silent gasp. She gaped at Artemis like a dying fish for a moment before attempting to recover her calm outlook.

But it wasn't enough. Artemis could see in her eyes that what she needed to know, the thing that everything was leading up to, the real reason that they were in this whole mess hadn't clicked. Barbara hadn't connected the dots yet. She didn't know.

Artemis swallowed. "I joined a covert operations group within the League. It was made up of sidekicks, partners. Miss Martian, Superboy, Aqualad, Kid Flash," Artemis watched Barbara closely, "and Robin, the boy wonder."

Barbara's eyes remained gentle and understanding and locked on Artemis, focused on her story. Artemis swallowed.

"At first, I didn't think I would fit in, but they became like my family. Well, not _my_ family. A real family. Robin became my little brother. He was always making up words and trying to make me comfortable. Even when we were the last ones when we were attacked on base, he made me smile and made sure I never lost my head." Barbara's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, obviously not understanding. Artemis wondered if denial was playing a part in the redhead's confusion. She was smarter than this. "Then things changed. He started coming less, saying that one of his teachers was making his life miserable. He was dealing with things at school that we weren't a part of. Then a villain called Deathstroke started stalking him. And then he was gone, missing."

Barbara stared at her.

Then it clicked.

. . .

"How do we get our memory back?" Kaldur questioned, gray eyes seeming the color of steel in the darkened feeling of the room.

Megan looked at him uncomfortably, hand tightening just slightly in Conner's, ignoring the fact that all of her teammate's eyes rested on her. She took a slight breath, focusing before speaking clearly. "I'm not sure. Have any of you had flashes of the memory?"

No one spoke.

Megan ran a shaky hand down her face before taking one more light breath. "It doesn't have to be a flash. Maybe a feeling or a smell. It could be anything."

Kaldur spoke softly. "Dreams?"

Megan nodded almost shyly, encouraging him to share dreams that they all knew were really nightmares. His deep voice seemed gruffer than usual when he spoke, eyes distant. "All I see is a hallway. It's dark, I can't see where it goes, and the closer I get to the door, the more I smell burning flesh and fire."

No one spoke, but Wally's skin suddenly turned chalky and his eyes haunted. "That's all I can smell. Burning flesh. Blood. And something muffled, something quiet. It's like I hear someone holding back screams."

"Get up." They all jumped, eyes wide. They all turned to Conner, seeing a distance in his eyes that came from detachment over any kind of emotion. "I said get up."

A chill went down all their spines. It was faint, but they knew they all heard it at some point. Those words seemed more than what they should be. They held a certain darkness that disturbed them all beyond the deepest recesses of their minds and souls.

Megan let out a huff of breath, watching as all of their gazes returned to her. Her lower lip trembled as she spoke. "It's not-not enough. Maybe if we were getting flashes, all of us, but I don't think I can pull it back to the surface."

"Not enough?" Wally whispered darkly, green eyes flashing emerald in the grim light.

Megan flinched at his tone, swallowing almost guiltily. "Maybe with Artemis, but-but we're a team, and my mind works best with . . . with the team."

No one had to think hard to understand. Without Robin, they were practically given an unsolvable problem. The only thing, the only lead they had to save their resident boy wonder they couldn't reach without Robin. Though frustrating, there was a soft understanding that ran through the team.

They couldn't do anything.

. . .

"No, that-it can't-" Barbara's eyes seemed frantic as they searched Artemis's face in a silent panic. "No, I'm his best-his best-" Her hands ran absently over the wedding ring on her face, looking eerily omniscient of something going to happen. "I'm his best friend. He would tell me."

Artemis swallowed. "He's been working up to it."

"How would you know?" Barbara snapped, tone unnecessarily harsh toward the blond before her.

To her credit, Artemis didn't react to the other female's harsh words. She didn't let them hurt her, understanding the pain, the fear, and betrayal that Barbara was trying to mask with anger over anything else. Artemis looked her in the eye, ignoring the extra blinks the girl gave to attempt to mask tears. "Because you're good and exactly what he needed. Think about it. He's been steadily working you up to it, hasn't he? You disappear when I try to follow you. You managed to find a lead on him that no one else did. You've been doing things that only Robin could do. He's been training you."

Barbara's lips parted in a silent gasp, her flushed skin paling just slightly, and it was in that moment that Artemis knew she was right.

Barbara swallowed, breathing out slowly. Thoughts rushed through her mind, and suddenly, she was wondering why Dick had done it. Why had he trained her? For protection? Maybe as an asset. She wanted to be cop, and he knew it. It would be so easy to use her if she were-

Her hand stilled on the ring.

What if he was making a back-up plan? In case he died, there would be someone to protect Gotham.

Fear ran up her spine, and she could feel her breathing speeding up. What if she were a plan in case he _died_-

Artemis's hand was cold as it touched her trembling fingers, stopping the panicked spinning of the ring. Barbara swallowed, looking up at the girl before her. Barbara could feel the burn of abused skin around the ring, but she didn't look, didn't dare. Instead, she stared at the concerned (but understanding) gaze of the girl before her. Barbara swallowed.

No matter the reason Dick had begun to train her, Barbara had found a lead. And she was going to follow it.

Her laptop made a beeping noise, making Barbara's head snap up. Without a wasted second, she and Artemis had scooted right up to the piece of technology. Barbara's hands were swift as they ran over the keys.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "It's a video."

"Can you play it?" Asked Artemis, eyes trained on the screen filled with numbers. Though she didn't understand a single digit's meaning or placement, there was something oddly comforting about looking at the numbers and knowing that they might lead them to Robin, to Dick.

Barbara looked at Artemis for a moment before hunching over her computer. "I don't know."

. . .

In the early morning chill, Klarion the witch boy gave a disturbed smile as he was handed the gem. When he said nothing, the foot soldier sent to deliver it gave a shiver, trying to keep his face blank.

"Come on, Teekl." He murmured to his familiar. "Let's go play."

. . .

FudoTwin17: Well, the plot is moving along. I really gotta go, though. See you guys. Enjoy.


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